WELLINGTON man, Philip Winks aged 66, is raising money for Prostate Cancer UK by walking 40,000 steps a week throughout the month of September.

Two years ago Philip had a heart attack, and shortly after this he was diagnosed with skin cancer, which was successfully treated.

Then, during a routine health check-up, his doctor picked up that there were tiny particles of blood in his urine which, after testing, gave a positive result for prostate cancer.

He was diagnosed with level 2 prostate cancer in December 2021 and is currently finishing his treatment.

Philip sings the praises of the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital. He said:“They work like clockwork, are very considerate and work around you.”

Philip keeps a positive outlook, and gives credit to his loving family for keeping his spirits high.

Having serving with the British Army in the Royal Artillery for nine years, Philip has travelled the world and said he is always grateful for the tight-knit family that can “only be made in the Armed Forces”.

He said: “The Army gave me a family of the type that nobody not in the forces could understand.”

Originally from Yorkshire, Philip moved to near Wellington 14 years ago after meeting his now wife. As a qualified carpenter he spends a lot of his time in his workshop at home. To help his walking he has crafted a walking stick for himself with an embellished handle.

Whilst dealing with the side effects of his treatment, Philip discovered the ‘March the Month’ challenge to raise awareness of the charity Prostate Cancer UK, and felt this was his way of giving something back to the community and raising awareness.

Philip said his doctors advised him that the challenge would put strain on his body, particularly his arthritic ankles, but Philip was determined to do it.

Since then he has walked an average of 8,000 steps per day every week through September, totalling 194,207 steps.

He said he is planning on doing a larger walk on the last day of his challenge ending at St John’s Church in Wellington - which will also be the day he gets his final test results from his treatment to determine whether his cancer has gone.

One in eight white men will get prostate cancer and black men have a one in four chance of being affected. If your brother or dad has it the risks are even higher. More than 12,000 men die per year from the condition, however early diagnosis has led to a huge increase in men who survive - 84 per cent survive now - compared to 40 years ago.

“Philip said: “Everyone over 50 should get themselves checked. I’m proud to say I’ve met people during this March the Month and raised awareness which has led to them getting checked.

“The Prostate Cancer UK website is the go to site for information on this,I can’t recommend it enough.”

To find out more about Philip’s March the Month challenge, go to marchthemonth.prostatecanceruk.org/fundraising/philip-winks-march-the-month-for-prostrate-ca