Matthew Haywood, the youngest ever winner of Survivor UK, has joined hundreds of other walkers to take on a charity trek in aid of leading end of life charity, Marie Curie.
The Beat The Gower coast – a fundraising trek across the picturesque South Wales landscape – was launched last year by the charity, which provides end of life support to people with a terminal illness with 617 people taking on either a 12 or 24 mile walk from Rhossili and back, raising a total of £182,228 for the cause.
This year the 514 participants took on either an 11 mile or 21 mile trail across the Gower Peninsula to support the charity on Saturday, September 5, coinciding with the first day of Gower Walking Festival.
Participants hiked across the iconic Rhossili Bay – home to vast, open beaches with beautiful dunes and surfers out catching waves.
Matthew, who met some of the charity’s staff during the trek, said: “Marie Curie’s work is a cause close to my heart, so I was delighted to also be able to join this trek – and what a beautiful part of the world to be able to explore!
“Being able to meet and talk to supporters and staff during the 21-mile trail was so lovely, but also inspirational – that some of the staff have spent the week caring for dying people and then come out to do this to support the charity is incredible.
“I think people should do Marie Curie’s Beat the Trails because it's for an amazing cause, but also, you'll be achieving something for yourself. You're getting to meet like-minded people and getting outside. In a world where we're always looking down at our phones, or at our computer screen, you’ll get to look up, put the phone away and just take in this incredible experience.”
Siwan Seaman, Marie Curie Cymru Medical Director, took on the 21 mile trek and said: “Being able to join hundreds of supporters for this beautiful trek is both humbling and inspiring. It is crucial that so many people have signed up, prepared and fundraised for Beat The Gower, because every step they take helps Marie Curie reach more people who need care and support at the end of life. We are incredibly grateful to everyone taking part and to all those who have donated.”
Sallyann Hill, a Marie Curie healthcare assistant who took on 12 miles in 2025, and this year took on the longer 21-mile trek, said thinking of her patients helped her along the route.
“When we were thinking we were breathless from walking, I just kept thinking of those patients with a lung condition who are always breathless,” she said.
“It was going to be over for us at the end of the trek, but they deal with that symptom daily.”
Marie Curie supports people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, and advanced cancer.
The charity is dependent on fundraising and public donations. Marie Curie Nurses and healthcare professionals can provide expert hospice care to people in their own home and at its hospice in Penarth. In Wales, Marie Curie also provides Urgent Hospice Care at Home, with teams providing crisis support for patients at the end of life, whether they are at home or in care homes, such as providing ease for symptoms or pain, avoiding the need to attend emergency departments. The Companions service also sees volunteers who provide the emotional and practical support you want – at home, in hospital or over the phone.
Marie Curie’s free Information and Support line, which is available to anyone with an illness they’re likely to die from and those close to them, offers practical and emotional support on everything from symptom management and day-to-day care to financial information and bereavement support. In Wales, the Bereavement Information and Support Service also provides counselling and group support.
To find out more about Marie Curie’s Beat the Trails series or to sign up to next year’s Beat the Gower Coast event on Saturday September 4 visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/beat-the-trails
You can donate to Matthew’s fundraising here.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
For further information please contact Rachel Moses-Lloyd, Wales / Cymru PR lead, 07730617843 rachel.moses-lloyd@mariecurie.org.uk
Or contact the Marie Curie Press Office: media@mariecurie.org.uk / 0845 073 8699.
Please note, Marie Curie is not a cancer charity but the UK’s leading ‘end of life charity’. We care for people with any illness they are likely to die from including Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s, and advanced cancer.
About Marie Curie
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity.
The charity provides expert end of life care for people with any illness they are likely to die from, and support for their family and friends, in our hospices and where they live. It is the largest charity funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK, and campaigns to ensure everyone has a good end of life experience. Whatever the illness, we’re with you to the end.
If you’re living with a terminal illness or have been affected by dying, death and bereavement, Marie Curie can help. Visit mariecurie.org.uk or call the free Marie Curie Support Line on 0800 090 2309.
Whatever the illness, wherever you are, Marie Curie is with you to the end.