“Walking got me through my cancer treatment and became a daily reminder that I was getting stronger once again.” – Simon’s experience

Walking has always been important to Simon Twigge. But following his cancer diagnosis, it became far more than exercise. Steady outdoor miles and time spent exploring Yorkshire’s hills became an essential part of his recovery from cancer treatment.

Now, a year since his diagnosis, the 59-year-old from Sheffield is channelling his love of walking into the Yorkshire Cancer Research ‘We Walk for Yorkshire’ 2026 fundraising campaign. This May, Simon will be taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks and challenging himself to walk 15,000 steps a day to raise vital funds for pioneering cancer research in Yorkshire. 

Having lived in Sheffield for nearly 30 years, Simon has enjoyed countless hours exploring the hills of the Peak District and walking in the green spaces of Nether Edge, a leafy suburb of Sheffield he proudly calls home.

It just before Christmas 2024 when Simon first noticed a lump in the side of his neck. After mentioning it to friends while on a hike, including one who is a GP, he booked an appointment with his doctor, who quickly referred him for an ultrasound.  

Three weeks later, Simon was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. He was told the cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common group of viruses which can cause certain types of cancers, including cancers of the mouth and throat, cervix and genital cancers.  

Around 4 in 5 men and women will have HPV at some point in their lives. In most cases, the virus clears on its own, but in a small number of cases, the immune system is unable to remove it, causing cells to change over time which can lead to cancer.

He said: “Everything happened very quickly. Within three weeks I had gone from a GP appointment to having an ultrasound, biopsy, MRI and a CT scan. I was quite taken aback when they said it was cancer, but I was reassured that HPV-related cancers often respond well to treatment. All I could do was hold onto the positivity my doctors had encouraged from the start.”  

Simon quickly began treatment which involved 35 rounds of radiotherapy and two rounds of chemotherapy. His treatment made it painful and very difficult for him to swallow, requiring him to use a feeding tube for nutrition. He also experienced extreme sensitivity to flavours.  

He said: “With the treatment being in the neck area, it caused a lot of discomfort. I did the exercises they gave me to help with swallowing, but eating was still very unpleasant and food tasted horrible. I ended up losing over 20kg due to being unable to eat properly."

On the day of his diagnosis, Simon was advised that maintaining some level of physical activity would help prepare him for treatment and make it more tolerable. His cancer nurse recommended Active Together, a research-backed cancer exercise treatment service funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Three weeks before starting treatment, Simon attended an assessment with the Active Together team in Sheffield, who measured his fitness levels and discussed his mental wellbeing and overall physical health.  

He was then given a personalised cancer exercise treatment plan, along with tailored nutritional and wellbeing support, to help him prepare for and recover from his treatment.  

He said: “Ahead of treatment, I was already walking every morning and evening because I had been told how important it was to continue to do some low-impact activity. I think the Active Together team were quite shocked at how many steps I was already doing! 

Simon is one of over 3,000 people who have been supported by Active Together. Designed by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Active Together is underpinned by well-established scientific evidence that shows exercise before, during and after cancer treatment can increase cancer survival, reduce side effects from treatment, reduce complications and reduce the risk of cancer returning.  

Launched in Sheffield in 2022, Yorkshire Cancer Research has been bringing the pioneering cancer exercise treatment service to people across Yorkshire. It is currently available in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Wakefield and North Kirklees, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, Harrogate and Hull. 

Simon said: “My oncologist told me people who are very fit often feel the effects of treatment very intensely but usually recover more quickly. At the very start, the sensitivity in my mouth, along with the mucus and tissue damage from radiotherapy, made things incredibly difficult.

Simon currently attends checks ups every eight weeks to monitor his health. Today, he is embracing life after cancer treatment with the same positivity he carried since his diagnosis.  

Thankfully, he is back eating foods he couldn’t enjoy during treatment. As a classical musician who trained at the Royal Academy of Music, he has also returned to playing the French horn, the instrument he has taught and loved to play for decades.  

Crucially, Simon can once again walk long distances in the Yorkshire countryside, along with his partner and close circle of friends who supported him throughout his cancer treatment.

Having experienced the benefits of research-backed cancer exercise treatment on his recovery, Simon now wants to raise funds so more people can access pioneering research and innovative cancer services. This May, he’ll be taking part in ‘We Walk for Yorkshire’ 2026 and joining people across the region to walk 35,000 miles together in May – one mile for every person told they have cancer in Yorkshire each year. 

Simon said: “This May marks a special birthday for me, so what better way to celebrate than by taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks with my friends while fundraising along the way. I’ll also be setting myself the goal of 15,000 steps a day, which is around 230 miles for the month. Walking got me through my cancer treatment and became a daily reminder that I was getting stronger once again, so this campaign holds a special place in my heart.”

When asked about why he chose to support the vital work of Yorkshire Cancer Research, he said: "I only discovered the charity because of Active Together, but since then I’ve seen the huge difference it makes to people living with cancer in my region.