WHEN poorly Melanie Bradley asked her father-inlaw to support her with a sponsored event, she got more than she bargained for.

For the mum of one was only expecting a small cash donation — but instead keen rambler Mark Bradley agreed to do it in her place.

Melanie, aged 31, of Wigan Road, Deane, suffers from Bullous Ichthyosis, a skin condition that is so painful it has dashed her hopes of taking part in the British Skin Foundation fundraiser.

But Mark, aged 51, of Earlswood Walk, Great Lever, was determined not to let her efforts go to waste.

He said: “I really love walking and go all over the place on walks, so the Walk For Skin event is something that I wanted to do.

“The fact that it supports Melanie and helps the charity is even better.

“I am learning all the time about the work and research the BSF does and the walk will contribute to that.”

On Sunday, May 23, Mark will be hoping for warm weather and clear skies when he walks three miles from Manchester City Centre to Salford Quays.

Cheering him on will be Melanie, her 28-year-old husband Vincent — Mark’s son — and Melanie and Vincent’s ninemonth- old son Daniel.

Bullous Ichthyosis causes blistering of the skin and thick scaling around the joints, which can cause problems with movement.

It is one of 28 known types of ichthyosis and, according to the BSF, roughly one in 500,000 people in the UK suffer from it.

Melanie said: “This is a terrific event and I would love to take part, but it would cause my feet to blister so much I would be out of it after half a mile.

“It is so wonderful for Mark to take part for me. He is really supportive and so is Vincent.

“Some of the money raised will go to specific ichthyosis research, which is fantastic.”

Visit tinyurl.com/35rhams to sponsor Mr Bradley on his charity walk.