A GROUP of men have raised thousands of pounds in aid of the Wrexham hospice that supported their friend in his final days.

Gavin Fox, from Hawarden, sadly died with motor neurone disease last summer at the young age of 36.

His close friends - Chris Henderson, Martin Moran, Ian Dorman, Nick Patel, Jason Perry, Danny Hughes, Simon Martin, Nicky Jones and Michael Hughes – made a pledge to support Nightingale House Hospice

The hospice holds a place close to their hearts as it was here Gavin, known as 'Foxy', was provided with palliative care.

The Leader previously reported how, in his memory, Gavin's friends will take on a trek from Elland Road stadium - home of his beloved Leeds United - to Nightingale House’s base in Wrexham.

The men started their four-day trek on May 20 with the aim of raising £5,000 for the hospice and posted video updates daily on social media as they walked over 100 miles.

As they crossed the finish line on Sunday afternoon, May 23, they have raised almost quadruple that with £18k in generous donations.

A Nightingale House Hospice spokesman said: “What an amazing achievement. This tremendous group of hospice supporters took on this challenge to raise funds for hospice services in memory of their very dear friend Gavin Fox.

“As the group crossed the line at the hospice this afternoon they had reached the grand total of over £18k. Huge thank you to the group for their very generous efforts, and their families and friends for helping them reach this point.”

As they reached North Wales, and began the final part of their trek to the hospice, Wrexham AFC captain Shaun Pearson and midfielder Luke Young joined the men during the final leg of their journey.

As well as raising money for the hospice, the friends hope to raise awareness of motor neurone disease.

Chris previously said: “One of the worst things about this awful disease is how it can affect absolutely anyone, and that it progresses so quickly.

"Gavin went from being a really sporty, active person, to completely bed bound within a year of his diagnoses. He was my best friend and I miss him everyday."

You can continue to support them by making a donation on their JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marchingonforfoxy.