Coventry's Lord Mayor has today (9 August) joined 72-year-old Tony Cunningham's year-long sponsored walk to raise money for Warwick charity, Molly Ollys.

Lord Mayor Cllr Kevin Maton met Tony at the War Memorial Park at 9am to tackle some laps of the park.

Tony, who underwent a quadruple heart bypass, is this year walking at least 10 miles a day every day to raise funds for the charity which emotionally supports children across the UK who have life-threatening illnesses.

Tony took on the challenge in memory of his late wife of 47 years who lost her battle with lung cancer last year and so far, he's walked more than 3,000 miles and raised over £5,000.

As well as supporting Tony's fundraising, the Lord Mayor is asking people to donate to his own chosen charities – CRASAC (the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre), the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, and the Alzheimer's Society.

The Lord Mayor, who was joined on the walk by his wife and Lady Mayoress, Angela, said: "Tony is an incredible inspiration. He is there in the park every day, covering 10 miles and chatting to other park users to spread news of Molly Ollys and the great work it does.

"It will be an honour to keep him company for a little while and support his efforts, and to try and do our own bit for some very worthy causes."

Tony said: "It will be great to see the Lord Mayor and do a few laps with him and the Lady Mayoress. He has named some great charities this year and I hope he enjoys the walk and raises some money along the way."

Molly Ollys was established following the death of Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw's eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer and marks its tenth anniversary this year.

The charity supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It donates wishes, helps with emotional support and it donates therapeutic toys and books to children directly and through hospitals across the UK.

Rachel was keen to join Tony and the Lord Mayor on the walk today; "Tony is such a legend. When he vowed to walk 10 miles a day, every day of 2022, I was astounded as that is a huge challenge. But he has not only walked 10 miles a day, he often walks 13 or 14 miles a day so he has clocked up way more miles than he first intended! We are extremely grateful for the funds he has raised and the awareness of the Charity that he has created and it is lovely that the Lord Mayor has shown his support by undertaking today's challenge."

To sponsor Tony, visit his JustGiving page.

To support the Lord Mayor's chosen charities, visit www.coventry.gov.uk/donate

To find out all the ways you can donate to Molly Ollys, visit the website.