Big push in memory of colleague

Big push in memory of colleague

Reg Owen with some of the colleagues who will push him.

A wheelchair user will be pushed from one side of Wales to the other to raise money in memory of a former colleague.

Reg Owen's work colleagues at County Hall in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, are urging him to go on a diet before the trek.

The 60-mile challenge will raise funds for the Lynne Shipp Memorial Fund.

Mrs Shipp, from Neyland, was a former county council colleague of Mr Owen and his friends.

Although she suffered from cystic fibrosis, she led an active life and was a well known and popular member of staff.

Lynne Shipp died last year

Her colleagues were devastated when she died last November, just four months after marrying her fiancé, Tony.

The Memorial Fund was set up by her family to support the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Llandough Hospital, Cardiff.

Cystic Fibrosis is a lung disease, which, without transplantation, can prove fatal before the age of 30.

The hike, billed as 'The Big Push', will take place over three days, starting on 10 May.

Around 27 people will take turns pushing Mr Owen, who works in the community education department, on a carefully planned route of quiet county lanes and tracks.

They will walk from the village of Anchor on the English border to Aberystwyth on the west coast.

"They are all asking me if I'm going to go on a diet but there's no chance of that," said Mr Owen.

"Although the hike does have its fun side with the pushers working in shifts, it also has a serious purpose.

"Everyone who knew Lynne was devastated when she died last November.

"Lynne inspired everybody with the way she lived with cystic fibrosis."