Dad-of-three from Todmorden taking on mammoth charity fundraising Spanish trek in memory of his wife

Their mission is to raise £100,000 for Manchester’s Christie charity to establish The Janet Rooney Fellowship, dedicated to advancing research in hepato-pancreatic biliary (HPB) cancer, which includes cancers that originate in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and neuroendocrine system (made up of nerves and gland cells).

This endeavour is not just a journey, it is a tribute to former property agent Mike Rooney’s wife, Janet, who died from bile duct cancer in April this year and was treated at The Christie hospital.

In the past, Mike has undertaken marathons, parachuting, climbed Kilimanjaro and all sorts of other challenges and felt that this fundraising project should be something equally, if not more, demanding to raise as much money as possible, so he decided to tackle the Camino De Santiago.

Initially Mike’s plan was going to go it alone but before he knew it, his good friend Nigel Tobias from Hale – who was also good friends with Janet - plus two other friends Paul Whitehurst in Stockport and David Brooks in London also came on board.

The walk starts in France on Wednesday, September 20, crosses the Pyrenees, and ends in Santiago in North-West Spain taking a minimum of 35 days to complete.

Mike, 63, Nigel, 64, Paul, 61, and David, 68, will all pay their own costs of travel, accommodation, food and kit, to guarantee all the money raised will go to The Christie Charity and The Janet Rooney Fellowship.

Mike said: “I’ve had dark and tough moments since Janet died and I grieve every day, but I knew I had to keep going so these fundraising challenges have helped me stay positive.

"Janet was my wife, mother of our three wonderful children and my best friend. She was well loved by anyone who got to know her.

"I’ve heard many people describe her as beautiful inside and out. This walk, and all our fundraising events, are all in her memory and to support the fight against this dreadful disease which affects so many people.

"Everyone on the planet is affected by cancer. I naively thought it was beatable, but cancer can still be as bad as it always was, unless you catch it early. Janet had bile duct cancer which was hard to detect as it was hidden behind the liver.

"There isn’t enough research into this so I wanted to try and do something about it, if I could.”

In addition to the Camino de Santiago trek, Mike and his friends have organised many other fundraising activities and events, including a fundraising pre-festive dinner and auction at The Midland Hotel Manchester in November. The overwhelming response from supporters has already resulted in a sold-out event, boosting their confidence in achieving their ambitious £100,000 target.

"It’s been heartening and life-affirming to see all the donations flooding in and all the support we’ve received and I’m sure we’re going to reach our fundraising target,” Mike said.

If you would like to donate to Mike Rooney’s JustGiving Page, click here.