THESE boots were made for walking and Pete and Trish Phillips are certainly planning to put their footwear through a workout.

The retired couple are setting off on a walk from John o'Groats to Land's End, with no special equipment or support team, just their boots and maps.

They are walking the gruelling 1,100 miles starting in September between the two points in about 76 days to help a close relative who has breast cancer.

The couple, who are in their 60s, will use hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation, plus help from a few friends for the trek in aid of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

The walkers were spurred into action when Trish's sister Brenda Bawden from Colden Common was struck down with cancer.

Trish said: "Earlier this year we talked about walking from John o'Groats to Land's End as we thought we would like to try it before we got old, but soon afterwards my younger sister found she had breast cancer.

"She has had an operation and is now undergoing chemotherapy. This spurred us on to commit to the walk and do it in aid of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

"It's a charity that touches so many people."

Brenda said: "I think they are brilliant for doing it."

Pete said they will have to cover an average of about 15 miles a day and will use 45 maps to get them across the country.

"The planning has been the major part of it," he said. "We will be sending maps to friends so we will carry only about six at a time. If we carried them all they would weigh 9lb."

The route the couple will take to them to Edinburgh, Carlisle, through the Lake District, along the canals of Lancashire, part of Cheshire then on through the Cotswolds. From Bath they will meander through the lanes and paths of Devon and Cornwall to Land's End.

The grandparents-of-six have now joined the Youth Hostels Association and will stay in bed and breakfast along the route.

The cost of the trip is £5,000 which will come out of their pockets. All the money raised will go to the charity. They hope to raise more than £2,000.

It is not the first time the pair have walked for a good cause. Two years ago they raised £2,000 for the Special Care Baby Unit at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

Trish and Pete walked from the Cumbrian coast to Lindisfarne - 200 miles - mainly because the unit had successfully treated their youngest granddaughter when she had meningitis.

If anybody would like to sponsor Trish and Pete contact them on 01962 861499.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.