A PICTURESQUE canal walk set to raise funds for a man’s year of fundraising is looking for people of all ages to take part.

Kris Griffin is taking on a year of fundraising in celebration of reaching his 10-year anniversary since being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). All proceeds raised will be donated to Leukaemia Care, a national charity based in Worcester who support anyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis.

Mr Griffin was diagnosed in 2008, aged 32, after visiting his GP with symptoms such as night sweats and pain in his hip. A blood test went on to reveal a leukaemia diagnosis which had him asking the question, “Am I going to die?”

Mr Griffin's just giving page explains: "When you’re told you have a leukaemia, or a blood cancer, or some other terrible disease, you never forget what being told feels like. There’s a ringing in the ears, everything just drains out of you. You just feel like you’ve been punched, really hard, but you feel no pain."

The canal walk has been organised by Kris’ wife, Kelly Griffin, and will start and end at the Anchor Inn Pub on the Diglis Docks, with walkers following the 10-mile scenic route towards Droitwich and back again.

Mr Griffin said, “What can be better than a brisk 10-mile walk around the waterways of Worcestershire on a Sunday afternoon? The money we are raising is going to save lives and I'm sure we'll have a blast doing it.

“The support that we've received so far has been really encouraging but we need more walkers, so dust off those walking shoes and join us.”

So far, Mr Griffin, from Kidderminster has raised over £4,000 of his £10,000 target, and with the walk coinciding with September’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month, he hopes to get ever closer to his goal whilst raising awareness of leukaemia. For the past two years, the charity has marked Blood Cancer Awareness Month with a month long #SpotLeukaemia campaign to highlight the signs and symptoms of leukaemia.

The walk takes place on Sunday September 23 at 11am. Anyone wishing to take part in the walk can request a sponsorship form from Leukaemia Care by calling 01905 755 977 or emailing fundraising@leukaemiacare.org.uk.

If you’d like to make a donation to Kris’ fundraising, head to his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kris10.