A MAN who is fighting a rare disease walked the 31 miles of the Worcestershire Way to raise money for research into his condition.

Martyn Wells, of Warndon Villages, Worcester, was diagnosed with vasculitis, an autoimmune disease affecting the blood cells supplying the organs, after three years of uncertainty.

In April, the 44-year-old decided that he was going to tackle the route from Bewdley to Great Malvern to raise awareness of the disease and funds for the Vasculitis UK charity.

Mr Wells and a group of friends started the Worcestershire Way at 5.30am crossing Abbberley Hill, Ankerdine Hill and the Suckley Hills before they reached the Malvern Hills 12 hours later.

Although the day started out cool, it later warmed up and the walk proved testing for the group. However, once it was complete, they had raised more than £5,000 for Vasculitis UK.

Mr Wells, an information technology director, said: “Do I have any regrets? If I did it again I would want to spend more time sharing the experience with my partner Hazel. But would I do it again?”

After the diagnosis, Mr Wells had to endure six months of chemotherapy.

The disease is now in remission, but he may have to continue the drug therapy for the rest of his life. “In the UK, there is very little funding provided to research the causes of the illness or to provide support and information for patients or their families,” he said.

Anyone who wants to contribute should go to justgiving.com/martynwells.