A GROUP has become one of the nation's biggest fundraisers for prostate cancer after completing a marathon challenge in memory of a beloved dad and granddad.
Described as a "one of a kind", John Haggerty loved nothing more than spending time with his family, working on his allotment, and watching the mighty Saints, but after a prostate cancer diagnosis in January 2023, his condition quickly deteriorated and he passed away eight months later.
As the 63-year-old died just months after his mum's passing, his son-in-law Barry Pope decided to set a marathon challenge in honour of the former Pilks worker, and raise money and awareness of prostate cancer.
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As reported by the Star, Barry signed up to Prostate Cancer UK's month-long marathon challenge last month, which involves runs (or walks) across various routes in St Helens until reaching the 26.6 mile target.
Setting a modest fundraising target of £200, the idea quickly snowballed into something much bigger as around 40 people routinely came along to get involved in the challenges.
Bringing together family, friends, and those who previously didn't know each other, the group completed the final challenge on Sunday, January 21 and raised almost £5,000 for Prostate Cancer UK - which means they are in the charity's top four fundraisers across the country.
Barry, who works for St Helens Council and coaches at FC St Helens, said: "When I started this I thought I would raise a couple of hundred quid for charity but the money has just kept coming in.
"This really spurred us on but it wasn't just about the money, it was about awareness as John passed away just eight months after his diagnosis and his health really deteriorated, and no family should ever have to go through that.
"He even said 'If I had a couple more years I'd be happy', so if we can help just one person from going through what John went through, then we've achieved our goal."
In addition to the huge fundraising total, the challenges have been special as they have brought people together and sparked conversations about cancer, mental health, and memories of lost loved ones.
After the loss of John and his mum Pat in such a short space of time, this has been a huge comfort for the Haggerty family, and the group has agreed to continue the fundraising and meet-ups throughout the year.
Barry added: "John was a one-of-a-kind and the family still misses him like mad, but I think these challenges have really helped to bring people together and reminisce about his life.
"People were speaking about their families, memories, and mental health, so we're going to continue this throughout February and have a sponsored walk for prostate cancer in March."
After John's passing, Barry and the family stressed the need for men to be aware of any prostate cancer symptoms and get checked out if they are concerned. Symptoms can be found here.
You can donate to Barry's fundraiser for John and Prostate Cancer UK here.
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