A FATHER of three will be walking through Carmarthenshire as he continues a coastal walk, looking to raise more than £200,000 for charity following the death of his wife.

Laurence Carter, is completing the challenge for his wife, Melitta, who passed away at the age of 53 from cervical cancer.

He aims to raise £200,000 for Cancer Research UK in Melitta’s memory.

Laurence began his epic walk from his family’s home town of Seaford, East Sussex, on June 16 and is making his way clockwise around the coast of England and Wales, passing through 29 counties, arriving in Carmarthenshire this week.

Laurence has gone walkabout from his job as a senior director at the World Bank Group to get men talking about cervical cancer and how it can be prevented.

He remembers his wife urging him to go to the screening appointments that were available for men, but he never thought to remind Melitta to go for a smear test.

He said: “My beautiful, wonderful wife, Melitta, mother of our three children, sister, daughter and beloved friend to many, died of cervical cancer in 2015.

“People were drawn to Melitta; she empathised, expressed opinions, argued, made you laugh. She made everyone feel alive.

“She touched and enriched the lives of so many people, this is the least I can do for her.

“When I turned 50, Melitta started reminding me about health checks that were available for men but at no stage did I remind her to go for cervical screening. It never crossed my mind. Now I think to myself, if I had raised it and she had gone six months earlier, she might be alive.

“So I am walking to raise awareness.

“Many men might not be familiar with the importance of smear tests, or that there is a safe, highly-effective vaccine which protects against the main types of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which can cause cervical cancer.

“The women in their lives – daughters, sisters, mothers, girlfriends or wives - might be busy and putting off making an appointment, thinking it can wait. We should be reminding them to go for that appointment as soon as the letter comes, before it’s too late.”

For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity or Laurence’s walk, visit cruk.org.