WHEN he steps out for a marathon walk, a West End man will be raising funds for a cause very close to his heart.

For Chris Bowers, a 40-year-old steel fixer, is passionate about raising money for MS sufferers, like his partner's step mother Anita Selby.

Anita, 61, who lives in Millbrook, Southampton, has suffered with MS for half her life. She is confined to a wheelchair.

This is the second year that Chris has taken part in the MS Society's 50 mile walking challenge, BIGFoot.

He will again be in Wiltshire for the walk which is during the August Bank Holiday.

Chris, who is the owner of four English bull terriers, said: "I am quite an active person and I walk my dogs every day alongside the River Itchen. I also get through a lot of walking on the building site."

He will be among 300 people who are expected to walk a total of 15,000 miles through some of Wiltshire's most beautiful countryside to raise money for services and crucial research into Multiple Sclerosis.

MS affects more than 85,000 people in the United Kingdom, two thirds of whom are women.

The MS Society's BIGFoot Challenge is now in its fourth year and almost doubling in size each year. Walkers cover 50 miles over three days, sleeping in a tented city in Marlborough.

Shane Hickey, the MS Society's fund raising manager, says: "BIGFoot is a unique concept. It is about bringing people together with one aim to cross the finish line.

"It is so emotional. Everyone really pulls together, particularly over the last few miles when the feet have had more than they can take."

If anyone wants to sponsor Chris they should ring 023 8051 1245.