Civil servant Craig Keatley took another flipper-clad step towards his coast to coast goal when he completed the Manchester Half Marathon in aid of the Christie.

The 48-year-old finished the 13-mile course on October 15 in three hours and 36 minutes wearing his trademark black flippers, and says he was delighted that he didn’t come last.

Craig, a father of two from Stretford, recently completed the Salford 10k twice in one day wearing flippers in aid of the Christie, and ‘flipperman’ has become a familiar sight when training on the streets of Manchester.

Following Sunday’s half marathon he has completed 90 hours and 350 miles in his cumbersome footwear and now has his sights firmly set on his fundraising 165-mile coast to coast walk in May 2018.

“I’m a keen cyclist and I’ve done fundraising challenges before but this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Craig. “It’s very hard on my feet and I’m covered in plasters now. It’s mentally taxing too, I’ve had a few falls!”

Craig decided to fundraise for the Christie after a former boss and several friends were treated at the specialist cancer hospital in Withington.

“I wanted to think of something really unusual so I decided to wear flippers and do walking challenges,” Craig explains.

“I got the idea from a beach-themed party I went to years ago. It does seem to have caught people’s attention. I had lots of people cheering me on during the Manchester Half and that really made it for me.”

Lindsay Farthing, events manager at the Christie charity, said: “It’s because of amazing supporters like Craig, who come up with ever-inventive ways to raise money for The Christie charity, that we are able to continue funding over and above what the NHS provides to cancer patients and their families. Thank you Craig.”

The Christie charity supports the work of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust through its fundraising activities, and delivers projects, equipment and improvements that are over and above what the NHS funds. The charity has over 43,000 supporters who helped raise £15.9m last year.

You can follow Craig on Twitter @flipperkeatz and donate via his JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/craig-keatley2

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust has been ranked ‘Outstanding’ by the health regulator the Care Quality Commission which referred to it as ‘exceptional’ and ‘a leader in its field’. It commended the trust not only for its effectiveness and care, but highlighted its work in shaping the future of cancer care and noted the reach and influence of its clinical research projects.