ROCK musician Mike Peters and his wife Jules have reached the half-way point of their 10-day, 130-plus mile North Wales charity walk.

On Monday schoolchildren, local supporters, hospital staff and patients greeted The Alarm frontman and his wife at Glan Clwyd Hospital as they embarked on the fifth day of their walk across North Wales in aid of cancer services in North Wales – as part of the By Your Side campaign.

Having walked 18.5 miles from Bodfari to Prestatyn on Sunday, the fifth day took the couple and their army of supporters from the hospital to Mostyn.

Since its launch in 2014, the By Your Side campaign has raised over £270,000 for new equipment and better facilities, support networks for patients and additional training for NHS staff.

Mike, who has fought a lung running battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, said: “When I launched the By Your Side cancer care campaign with our North Wales NHS Charity, Awyr Las, over two years ago, I was a man on a mission.

”I wanted to help others like me get the very best quality treatment and care right here in North Wales.

“ I hoped to encourage people to keep active; and I aimed to celebrate all that is great about our NHS.

”Since Jules was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, we are stronger and more determined than ever.

“We both still know we have a lot to be thankful for and our mission remains the same.

“We want to help; we want to inspire hope and we want to celebrate.

“That’s why we’re going on this spectacular walk as part of our overall By Your Side fundraising activities. We’re raising money; we’re singing; we’re remembering friends who’ve gone and we’re having a good time.”

At the end of Monday’s walk, a celebratory tea was hosted by fellow walker Lord Mostyn at his Holywell home.

Walkers as well as local patient representatives, including cancer survivors and people currently undergoing treatment, were among those who attended.

Welsh tenor Rhys Meirion, who has enjoyed international success in opera and recording, has also been among the walkers.

He said: “It is such a pleasure to accompany Mike and Jules on parts of this walk.

“People have been coming out to support us along the route and have been incredibly generous with their donations and their cheers.

“The atmosphere has been amazing along the way and every single penny people give goes directly towards cancer care services here in North Wales, so we urge everyone to come out and meet us if the route comes close to where they live.”

For updates, follow @AwyrLasCharity and #ByYourSide17 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To register or get tickets for Snowdon Rocks, go to www.byyoursideappeal.org

You can donate to support the By Your Side campaign at www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/algc/byyourside or text BYYS17 £5 to 70070.