A GRIEVING pensioner is set to spend his holidays walking 630 miles for charity in memory of his late wife.

Steve Disney will tackle the South West Coast Path in March to raise funds for the national charity Brain Tumour Research.

He will be remembering Janet, his wife of 36 years, and hopes to raise tens of thousands of pounds for research.

Janet, 74, passed away in June, just weeks after she was diagnosed with a primary malignant brain tumour.

Steve, of Wellington, said: “We had to wait for the scan results, we were on our way to Dorset when the call came.

“It was devastating and I was in tears as I was told that Janet had an inoperable brain tumour.

“Her whole body was affected for the last six weeks or so of her life.

“She relied on me completely for the last month and, as any husband would, I did everything for her.”

Steve is now learning to cope on his own and is comforted by his faith and the fellowship of the United Reformed Church in Wellington, where he and Janet were married.

He recalls when they first met: “Janet and I were both working at Dairy Crest in Wellington.

“She was married at the time but things didn’t work out and, to start with, I was her shoulder to cry on. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything like that but we grew close and eventually married on March 17, 1979.”

As well as collecting sponsorship, Steve hopes his quest will raise awareness of brain tumours.

Steve, 63, hopes walkers will join him for sections of the route which will take him from Somerset to Dorset, giving him the opportunity to hear their stories along the way.

His plans echo the best-selling novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in which a pensioner steps out to post a letter to a past love who is dying of cancer.

Instead, he walks 600 miles to see her, collecting a band of well-wishers along the way.

Steve added: “It will be less than a year since I lost Janet but I have a positive outlook on life, I am keeping myself busy and getting on ok. Because of our strong faith, Janet and I had no fear of dying. I will miss her every day of course but I am determined that some good will come of this.”

Janet was the eldest of 11 children and lived her whole life in Wellington.

Steve said: “My family will wave me off and my church family will be there at the finish. No doubt Janet would have thought I was mad to take on a challenge like this but I am looking forward to it..”

To r make a donation visit justgiving.com/ steve-disney