Max Neill died in February after a battle with bowel cancer

Colleagues of a Preston man who bravely blogged about his battle with bowel cancer are to walk in his memory.

Max Neill, 49, died in February and wrote openly about his stay in St Catherine’s Hospice along with the important of end-of-life planning.

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Now his former workmates at Lancashire County Council are joining hundreds of other walkers for the Moonlight and Memories Walk.

Kate Burgess said: “We have all worked with Max, some of us for more than 10 years. He was one of the most humble, understated yet quietly determined men I have ever met.

“He rarely talked about himself, but often talked about his family, who clearly meant the world to him. The thing I will always remember about Max was his passion for people, particularly people who were vulnerable. He had an amazing way of getting people to talk and share their experiences.

“The way he talked about his illness and how he felt about dying was very moving; he was determined that people would learn from his experiences about how best to support people who were dying.

“We wanted to do something to celebrate Max and the difference he made to our working lives. Max was so positive about the support he received from St Catherine’s, so it seemed logical to do it for the hospice, and many of us have family members who have relied on the charity too, so it’s very close to all of our hearts.

Related: St Catherine’s Hospice pay tribute to Max Neill

“Although we knew that Max was coming to the end of his life, we were all a little taken aback when he passed away, so no one felt it was the right time to organise something to show our respects when it first happened.

“We were talking about Max a few weeks ago and how much we missed him, and decided the time was right to celebrate his life. The Moonlight and Memories Walk is the perfect opportunity for us all to come together to remember Max as a group.

“Some colleagues are doing the four-mile route and some of us our doing the full 10-mile route; because there are two choices it means more of us can take part, which is great.

“We’re really looking forward to it, it should be great fun. We’ve started doing a lunchtime walk to get fit. It’s great to get away from our desks, and is good for us too.”

The walk takes place on Saturday 4 June around the streets of Lostock Hall.

Details and how to register can be found on the St Catherine’s Hospice website.