A BRADFORD man who has an incurable kidney disease has completed a 100km - or 62 miles - hiking challenge to raise money for charity.

Andrew Heward, 57, from Wibsey, was diagnosed with Cystinuria, a kidney disease caused by an inherited gene defect when he was in his teens.

Since then, he has undergone more than 30 surgeries and spent long periods of time at Bradford Royal Infirmary’s renal unit.

To say thanks for the help he has received ever since his diagnosis, Andrew took on a huge challenge this weekend, which saw him hike 100km across the Nidderdale area of the Yorkshire Dales over two days.

Andrew said: “This seemed like a good way to say thank you. I regularly visit the Renal Unit and everyone has always looked after me. I would love the money I raise to go where it is needed the most, to support staff and buy extra equipment.

“I am a keen walker, and I usually average 12-18 miles when I walk, but it did get hard towards the end. And I did say I’m never doing anything like this again at the time, but I probably will.”

Andrew, an industrial services engineer, said that it was even more of a challenge because he was still recovering from his latest surgery in his training phase, which had left him with infections.

So far, he has raised almost £1,500 for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity which is the charitable arm of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It funds projects and equipment which are over and above what the NHS provides.

“I’ve raised quite a bit but not half as much as I’ve received from the hospital over the years, so I just wanted to see what I could do to try and pay some of that back,” Andrew added.

Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “Thank you Andy for taking on this incredible challenge for our charity. 

“Considering everything Andy has gone through to stay healthy, this is quite a feat and we speak on behalf of everyone in the Renal Unit when we say we are incredibly grateful. The money will be used to support other patients like Andy.”

Bradford Hospitals’ Charity works to raise funds to make improvements to Bradford Royal Infirmary and improve the hospital experience for patients.

You can support Andrew by visiting his Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andy-heward