A Holbeach charity volunteer who was treated for a brain tumour at Addenbrooke’s Hospital has raised more around £2,000 by walking 70 miles.
Liz Walker (69), who is the treasurer at the Holbeach Community Larder, walked from Addenbrooke’s to Holbeach to raise money for both the British Acoustic Neuroma Association and the Cambridge hospital.
Her mammoth effort took a total of ten days and saw Liz stick mostly to the Fen Rivers Way for the challenge.
In 2023 she was treated at Addenbrooke’s for an acoustic neuroma after being diagnosed in 2019.
“A significant proportion of this type of tumour just stops growing of their own accord (nobody knows why) so I was initially on a ‘watch and wait’ with regular MRI scans,” she said.
Only when the tumour began to grow did Liz have radiotherapy and subsequent scans indicate it may have shrunk as a result.
“It has left me almost completely deaf in one ear and with occasional balance issues. I will continue to have regular MRI scans, probably for the rest of my life, to check it doesn’t start to grow again,” she added.
Liz walked each day from the train station at each location and returned home in the evenings. Aside from the bit where Liz finished at Ten Mile Bank – in rural Norfolk with no train station in sight and a lift home was required.
“The toughest bit was between Waterbeach and Ely, just over 12 miles that day along part of the Fen Rivers Way.
“The path is well signposted, but not well used, lots of nettles for this shorts-clad walker to try to avoid (largely unsuccessfully).”
She also had to be ‘a bit inventive’ to avoid walking along the main roads between King’s Lynn and Holbeach.
This wasn’t Liz’s first walk for charity as in 2023 she walked the length of the Ridgeway and raised around £1,500 for the British Acoustic Neuroma Association.
