A terminally ill man from Altrincham is currently running 5k everyday for 365 days in a bid to raise as much money as he can for charity.
Keen runner Tony Collier has completed countless running events throughout his life – including 20 marathons in just 2017 alone – and was training for one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons that very same year when he noticed a pain in his groin that prompted him to go and get a check-up at the doctors.
Tony was sadly diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer at aged 60, and was given the worst case prognosis of two years.
“I was training for an ultra marathon but was being hampered by a groin strain,” Tony told ITV Granada.
“So I went for a scan and I got a call the next day saying I had cancer.
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“It spread into the pelvis, hips, rib, spine, neck and skull and I was given the worst case prognosis of two years and that’s four and a half years ago.
“Being told you’ve got cancer is devastating, being told they can’t cure it is indescribable and you go into the depths of despair [and] I spent 18 months feeling very sorry for myself but then I realised, you’ve got to live life to the full.”
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He was determined to not give up on his active lifestyle.
Tony is running 5k everyday in 2022 in a bid to raise as much money as he can for charity / Credit: Tony Collier (via Twitter – @ethansgrumps)
So, adamant that “exercise has been a vital part of coping with my diagnosis and I believe that it will extend my prognosis”, Tony decided to set himself the challenge of completing a 5k run every day throughout 2022 to help other people get active and to raise funds for a very worthy charity in the process – MOVE.
MOVE is embarking on a mission to inspire people to #MoveAgainstCancer by providing practical and online support to children and young living with and beyond cancer.
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Promoting the power of exercise, the charity is encouraging people to get involved with its ‘5k Your Way’ challenge – which is linked to parkrun – and Tony has become the charity’s regional champion for the North West to help develop the initiative across the region.
Having broadcast my daft idea to try to run or hike at least 5k every day in 2022 on BBC North West I guess I’ve now got to do it. As I am why not try to raise some funds for @cancer5kYourWay via @MOVEcharity along the way? Donations gratefully received https://t.co/SfkXJY0eKB
“Being diagnosed with cancer means people face an extremely tough journey,” Tony said via his JustGiving page.
“There is so much thrown at you both physically and mentally during treatment and it doesn’t just stop there… [so] I hope to raise a few quid to support MOVE’s amazing work.”
You can find more information, and donate to Tony’s JustGiving page here.
Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Nathan Aspinall urges PDPA to improve mental health support within the sport
Danny Jones
Local sports personality Nathan Aspinall has urged the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) to provide better mental health support moving forward.
It’s not the first time ‘The Asp’ has called for more awareness and provision when it comes to player welfare and mental wellbeing, specifically, which remains a prevailing societal problem in general.
The Greater Manchester native has opened up about his own struggles many times in the past and has made a public plea for the PDPA to intervene and offer more help.
Speaking at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championships after his opening round victory, the 34-year-old instead chose to focus on more important issues than his strong start.
As you can see, Aspinall began by stating that “the PDPA now need to step in and help these guys because there’s a lot of guys suffering.”
Having long been an champion for male mental health, in particular – supporting the local Healthy Minds practices in his hometown of Stockport, for instance – he’s been one of the outspoken player on the subject for some time.
Noting that there are at least “two or three people” he refused to name, his message was simple: “There’s a lot of fantastic dart players in our sport, but it’ll be a shame to see so many of them go because of mental health”
The 2019 UK Open and 2023 World Matchplay winner has battled with multiple obstacles, including an ocular condition known as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, as well bursitis, which causes inflammation around key joints.
But it’s not necessarly injuries and the physical side of things that have been his biggest concern.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
"I really do not care anymore.
"I do everything I can to be a good sportsman and you still get s**t. So you know what? I don't care. Say what you want." pic.twitter.com/mCBjQ6kvyj
One of the biggest and most recurring challenges for him has been ‘dartitis’, which many players within the discipline wrestle with the more their careers progress.
Aspinall has confessed to suffering almost chronic panic attacks due to the mental blocks (also commonly known as ‘the yips’) brought about by the intense pressure of playing on stage/live on TV.
With that in mind, it’s great to see him not only back on form and pulling impressive performance such as his ‘big fish’ finish on Friday night, but continuing to draw more attention to the underlying mental health crisis, especially among men. Well played, Nath.
You can watch his post-match interview in full down below.
Emily Sergeant -
21st January 2022 
