Father and son to walk Hadrian's Wall in memory of beloved mum and gran Margaret 'Mrs Claus' Gurr

A father and son are hitting the road to help raise cash for their team that helped their beloved mother and grandmother through terminal illness.
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Margaret Tudberry and partner Mick Gurr made the headlines when they tied in the knot as Mr and Mrs Santa Claus in a Christmas-themed wedding in December 2019.

Mick popped the question after 15 years together when Margaret was suddenly diagnosed with a rare form of cancer of the bile duct.

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The couple raised £1,080 for Macmillan on the day to repay the charity which had supported Margaret since her diagnosis by asking for donations in place of wedding gifts.

She continued: “Macmillan has helped me a lot, they are always there when I need them.

Margaret underwent chemotherapy to give her as much time with her family as possible but passed away in August last year.

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Now her son and grandson, Michael, 46, and 19-year-old Aaron Charlton, are to walk the 84-mile length of Hadrian’s Wall in two days to raise funds for the palliative care team that cared for Margaret in her final days.

Michael and Aaron Charlton are doing a sponsored Hadrian Wall walk to raise funds for South Tyneside palliative care teamMichael and Aaron Charlton are doing a sponsored Hadrian Wall walk to raise funds for South Tyneside palliative care team
Michael and Aaron Charlton are doing a sponsored Hadrian Wall walk to raise funds for South Tyneside palliative care team
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"I work away so I was not able to be there in her final days to help contribute to her care,” said Michael.

"I wasn’t able to be there during her final moments, something my mother and I both knew, but we were able to say our goodbyes before I left.

"The palliative care team worked with her and my two sisters – this is my way of putting something back to them for doing everything they did.”

Michael says the pair were planning to walk the length of the wall in two legs of 42 miles each: “We will take probably take a break for a few days but we will be doing the full walk in two days,” he said.

Mick and Margaret Gurr dressed as Mr and Mrs Clause on their wedding dayMick and Margaret Gurr dressed as Mr and Mrs Clause on their wedding day
Mick and Margaret Gurr dressed as Mr and Mrs Clause on their wedding day
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The team had provided support for the whole family, said Michael: "She was extremely well looked after. They were there every day and they weren’t just there for my mother, they were there for my two sisters as well.

Michael has set up a fund-raising page online. To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/charltonboyshike?utm_term=brr9m7jKW

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