A little over a year after being given just months to live, a 70-year-old man has walked from St John’s to Peel in aid of the Ukrainian war effort.

David Halsall walked along the island’s Heritage Trail last Tuesday (July 15).

He set off at 2.15pm and arrived in Peel at around 4.10pm.

This was a huge feat for Mr Halsall, as late in 2020, his health deteriorated dramatically.

At one point, he was put on end-of-life care, ‘but David had other ideas’ and started to recover.

Speaking after the walk, Mr Halsall’s wife, Rona, said: ‘It took him about two hours, we finished at Davison’s for an ice cream.

‘There were six of us walking with him, and two dogs, it was really good. The weather was perfect, because it was a little bit cooler on that day, the perfect temperature for walking.

‘He’s generated over £1,500 so far in sponsorship. He surprised himself, I think, and now he’s thinking about his next challenge.’

Mr Halsall is raising money for Manx Support for Ukraine, a group of military veterans who want to help the Ukrainian people.

Some of them ‘have seen first hand what situations like this do’ and, although retired, they ‘still feel that there is so much more we can do to help in this situation. When the conflict is over, they will need ongoing help’.

The charity is assisting those travelling back to the Ukraine to defend and help with the conflict.

They are raising funds to send as much protective equipment and medical supplies as possible, as well as help with travel costs and any other assistance required.

If you would like to donate to David’s fundraiser, you can call Jim on 484772, visit his JustGiving page: crowdfunding/ukraine-road-trip-iom, or donate via Paypal at [email protected]