Walk With Ollie 2026
- Ollie Young Foundation (OYF) is a UK charity funding research into brain tumours in children.
- Brave little Ollie lost his fight the day before his sixth birthday to an incurable brain tumour only 12 weeks after showing first symptoms.
- The ultimate aim of OYF is to find a cure or prevention from this awful disease that affects many children
- Ollie Young Foundation (OYF) is a UK charity funding research into brain tumours in children.
- Brave little Ollie lost his fight the day before his sixth birthday to an incurable brain tumour only 12 weeks after showing first symptoms.
- The ultimate aim of OYF is to find a cure or prevention from this awful disease that affects many children and families. With over 120 different types of brain tumour, it is the biggest cancer killer of children. By directly funding research into brain tumours they are able to pursue this aim.
- A proportion of funds raised will be directed towards two organisations very close to the foundation namely Helen & Douglas House and Young Lives vs Cancer.
What?
The 'Walk The Line!' Challenge
- The team will take on Offa's Dyke, the ancient border between England and Wales that stretches over 177 miles and almost 9,000 metres in cumulative altitude climb.
- The team plan to complete the challenge in 12 days btetween 29/6/26 and 11/7/2026, taking them from Prestatyn in North Wales to Chepstow in
What?
The 'Walk The Line!' Challenge
- The team will take on Offa's Dyke, the ancient border between England and Wales that stretches over 177 miles and almost 9,000 metres in cumulative altitude climb.
- The team plan to complete the challenge in 12 days btetween 29/6/26 and 11/7/2026, taking them from Prestatyn in North Wales to Chepstow in South Wales.
Who?
- Dale Thomas and Alan Francis on foot with Pete Dudman as the 'minder' in the support bus!
- Supported by Rich Jones...'The Enforcer'...pushing Dale's fitness levels!
Why?
- As a first and only priority, to raise money for the Ollie Young Foundation.
- The Ollie Young Foundation is a fantastic charity which operates without the overheads, paid fundraisers and CEOs of larger charities and raises money to fund paediatric brain tumour research. The team's adventure is entirely self-funded. All money donated goes directly to eradicating this awful disease.
Meet the team
Dale Thomas-Pensioner on Foot: 66
- Dale retired in 2021 from a career in the Software industry. His passion for ultra marathons (He has run the Marathon Des Sables and other crazy endurance events) was cut short when he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in early 2020. After completing his treatment, in 2021 he comp
Meet the team
Dale Thomas-Pensioner on Foot: 66
- Dale retired in 2021 from a career in the Software industry. His passion for ultra marathons (He has run the Marathon Des Sables and other crazy endurance events) was cut short when he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in early 2020. After completing his treatment, in 2021 he completed a John O'Groats to Lands End cycle and in 2022 The 3 peaks challenge and a walk home from Snowdon!. In 2023, he walked from Inverness to Wokingham using the canal network to raise funds for the Ollie Young Foundation (OYF) and last year walked 600km down and up the Thames Path again for OYF.
- In 2025, Dale went back to Namibia for the Desert Ultra Marathon with Beyond The Ultimate.
Alan Francis (Big Al) - Pensioner on Foot:66
- Big Al and Dale have been friends since they were 4 years old!
- Alan is a retired firefighter and also a master baker from his earlier uears supporting the family business.
- He is a keen cyclist and on his bike, he has supported great causes like Prostate Cancer and Alzheimer's Society in various rides at home and abroad and was Dale's charity partner for the OYF efforts in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024!
Pete Dudman - The Minder :70
- Pete is an absolute Reading legend! He was the patron of Dudman's of Reading the greengrocers, for most of his working life and has been a great character in the town for many years.
- He is enjoying his retirement these days but has pitched in on the 2023 and now the 2026 fundraising efforts for OYF. Pete will drive the support vehicle and provide us with the key support and nourishment needed at key checkpoints on the trek.
Richard Jones-Fitness:40
- Rich has been training Dale for more than 12 years for various challenges during this time. And he has the slogan...'Once a Jungle Brother, always a Jungle Brother!' Despite being led by Dale into one of the most hostile and challenging environments in the world...the Amazon Rainforest in the BTU 2016 Jungle Ultra-Marathon...where things have the ability to kill you, Rich says his biggest achievement to date has been surviving Dale's jokes over the 5 days!
Walk The Line!
Follow us day-by-day as we make progress over the 12 days.
Past Adventures
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Sponsorship Details
Please see our link below to donate and help make a difference. Thanks in advance!
You can now donate from your phone. As an example, just text OYF £5 to 70085 It can be any amount you like from £1 and up. Please have a look on the link for details of the wonderful work this charity does https://www.ollieyoungfoundation.org/
