A father and daughter from Douglas have raised nearly £2,500 during their walking challenge for a cause close to their hearts.

Michael, 86, and Stephanie Gray, 56, have been tying up their shoe laces and walking long distances to reach their target of 142 miles - their combined ages.

Their efforts are in support of Breast Cancer Now Isle of Man, which the family has been helping out since Michael and Olga’s daughter Michelle Taggart sadly died from the illness in 2005.

Each year the family holds a coffee morning in July in remembrance of Michelle while raising donations for the charity. However, due to coronavirus this was cancelled.

Olga said: ’We are very passionate to raise funds for breast cancer research. We thought we’ve got to find another way to put funds into the research.

’I was chatting to my husband and daughter about this. They are very good walkers with Stephanie having completed the Parish Walk 13 times and my husband is the oldest man to have walked it when he was 75.

’We spoke to Angie Aire, the chairman of the charity, and she recommended we start a crowdfunding page.’

The father and daughter pair have gradually been ticking off the distances with a 26-mile walk from their home to Port Soderick and back and another long walk to Peel and back. They now have 61 miles left.

Olga said that her husband and daughter have found it has been ’very meaningful to do it together’.

Their last walk is planned to finish at the Promenade Methodist Church on July 25, which would have been the date of the coffee morning.

Michael said: ’The support has been amazing and people have been really generous.

’We never expected it to get the result it has.

’The girls who run Breast Cancer Now Isle of Man are great and very focused.’

Find their donation page by searching: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michael-stephanie-gray2