A Preston man who has faced a two-year battle against skin cancer is urging the city to get behind this year’s Walk in the Dark.

Hundreds of walkers are already registered but Richard Winnard has told of his cancer fight in the hope it inspires even more people to take part.

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The 35-year-old underwent a bone marrow transplant for leukaemia when he was seven but learned in summer 2017 he had skin cancer.

A freckle on the right hand side of his forehead had been growing bigger, and after a referral from his GP to Rosemere Cancer Centre the Lancashire County Council worker was diagnosed with cancer.

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He has undergone surgery to try and remove the cancerous cells, skin grafts, radiotheraphy, immunotheraphy and is now on tablets.

Richard said: “It came as a massive shock, which left me numb but one thing I have learned is that you can’t let cancer beat or control you and it is important to live a positive life.”

One of more than 430 walkers Richard is taking on the 11-mile night-time hike in aid of the Rosemere Walk in the Dark.

He’s raised nearly £500 for the walk which will go from Chorley and South Ribble Hospital up the A6 to the Rosemere Cancer Centre at Royal Preston Hospital.

Richard, who also lost his father to bowel cancer in 2012, said: “Rosemere Cancer Centre, which Rosemere Cancer Foundation supports, gives outstanding care to people affected by cancer and who are going through difficult times. The staff are fantastic and amazing and certainly go above and beyond.

“In 2016, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my other brother Stuart and some friends to raise money for Macmillan and the British Heart Foundation but now Rosemere Cancer Foundation is the charity closest to my heart.”

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Rosemere’s head of fundraising Dan Hill said: “By all accounts, the weather forecast is good so it would be brilliant if we could have 600 walkers walking alongside Richard, which would be our best turn out ever.”

The Walk takes place on Saturday (27 April).

Richard can be sponsored via his Justgiving link.

And to sign up to the Walk in the Dark visit the Rosemere website. It’s £10 to take part.