Diss butcher Rob Goodwin taking on Prostate Cancer UK’s 200km challenge inspired by dad Cyril

A veteran goalkeeper and butcher is putting his stamina to the test by taking on a challenge that will see him clock up 200km this month.

Rob Goodwin, who plays for Harleston Town veterans, is coming to the end of Prostate Cancer UK’s Prostate United challenge, which encourages football fans to walk, run, or cycle every day during October.

With the finish line in sight, the father-of-three from Diss has so far raised £1,500.

“I saw the challenge and, with my dad having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in May, this sung true to me,” said the 37-year-old.

“My mum, Linda, was diagnosed with mouth cancer six or seven years ago , so it is not the first time we have had to deal with something like this.

“She always said she was going to beat it and, since then, we have had a mindset as a family to hit cancer head on and not let it get us down, so that was a big motivator for me in taking on this challenge.”

A butcher by trade, Mr Goodwin has been doing between three and 25km a day, and said he has had a lot of support from people.

“It has been great,” he said. “I have done walks with mum and dad, been on a couple of runs with some mates and been in the gym on the bike.

“Harleston FC has also been amazing. I have played for the club for the first team, the reserves and now the vets, and the lads have been great by donating and offering to come out with me on runs.”

His dad, Cyril, who is 72 and from Bressingham, owns Cannells Butchers, where his son works, with customers really getting behind the fundraising.

“The amount of people who have come in and donated has been mad,” said Mr Goodwin. I cannot thank everyone enough for the money they have put in.

“One of my mates gave me his donation. I thanked him and he just said ‘no worries, your dad is a legend of the town’. That just shows how loved he is here and what this challenge means to them as well.

“It has been very humbling and I have heard so many stories about how cancer has affected so many people, directly and indirectly.

“There seems to be a stigma about talking about it and I hope me doing this challenge helps raise awareness that we need to talk about it more.”

While the challenge has taken a toll on Mr Goodwin’s body, he said he has used his dad’s diagnosis to spur him on.

Rob said: “Unfortunately, dad can’t beat this but, with the correct drug treatment, monitoring and blood tests, he will be okay for years to come as long as he looks after himself.

“When things have been tough or it has been raining before I have gone out, I have thought about what I am doing this for and I know that is going to push me to finish this challenge and raise as much money as I can.”

To donate, search online for ‘Rob Goodwin Prostate United’.

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