WHEN Dr Roy Evison retired as a GP he was determined not to simply sit back and relax. Gayle McBain went along to meet the energetic medic and his wife as they finally take a well-earned break from a massive fund-raising achievement. . .

DR Roy Evison and his wife, Judith, are happy to be home, but itching to get back on the road after completing an 874-mile John O’Groats to Land’s End charity marathon.

So, rather than enjoying having time to put their feet up and relax, 60-year-old Roy and Judith, aged 55, are contemplating another charity blockbuster.

“Once you’ve done something like this it’s very difficult to just sit down and do nothing,” said former bio-medical scientist Judith. “We are itching to get going again,” added Roy.

The couple’s long-distance feat was achieved, in stages, by Roy running the route and Judith walking it because she has a back problem.

“I would drop Roy at our starting point by car and then drive to the finishing point for that day. Then I’d walk back to Roy with the car keys and he’d run to the car and then later pick me up,” explained Judith, who now works in data management for the Transfusion Laboratory in Blackpool but who used to work alongside comedian Dave Spikey in the labs at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The couple decided to undertake the marathon in memory of Roy’s sister, Joan Nash, who died of cancer aged 67.

Judith said: “We have lost family and great friends to cancer. We wanted to do something to help a cancer charity.” They decided on Cancer Research and are hoping to bust their £10,000 target.

The walk took up much of the year, starting in January and finishing in August, with the couple returning home to sort out bills and “do their washing” every 14 days before heading off again.

“We’d have two weeks running and walking and then a week’s rest,” said Roy, who bought a camper van for them to sleep in on their travels. The pair wore T-shirts en-route which explained what they were doing and they collected money from generous onlookers as they made their way North to South.

As well as helping Cancer Research, the couple hope that their efforts inspire others and show that age is no barrier to keeping fit.

“As a GP I wanted to show people that I practised what I preached,” said Roy, who, along with Judith, follows a meat-free diet.

Roy has always encouraged his patients to take exercise and eat healthily and it is a lifestyle both Roy and Judith are keen to follow. “I have really enjoyed the exercise. Roy has been an inspiration to me as he is a keen runner,” she said. “I prefer to walk as I have a back problem and didn’t want to aggravate it.”

Roy said everyone should take exercise, whether it be pounding the streets as he did or simply walking at a brisk pace like Judith.

“If you are going to avoid cancer then that is one of the best things you can do — you must take exercise,” said Roy. “If you are going to be overweight then it’s best to be fit and overweight.”

Roy and Judith, looking tanned and healthy, arrived at Land’s End to cheers from family members who travelled South to mark the end of a very special charity effort.

  • To donate to the Evison’s charity fund go to www.1c2c.org