Friends from Todmorden walking to Stoodley Pike every day this month to raise money for Leeds General Infirmary's spinal unit

Most mornings, Tony, who has run Dawson’s Ironmongers in Todmorden market since 1988, plans to start the two-mile hike at 6.30am – before heading back to open his shop two hours later.

And he will celebrate his 66th birthday at the Pike on February 12.

His aim is to raise money for the spinal unit at Leeds General Infirmary, where his daughter Sarah Douthwaite, a mum of two teenage sons, has received surgery and treatment for cancer of the spine.

Tony, a keen hiker who walks to the Pike as often as he can, says: “I have always liked the Pike and have walked up to it many, many times on different routes. So when I was thinking of an idea to raise money, I thought this was a good one.”

Peter, 63, who is a carer for his two grandsons Andrew Greenwood, 21, and his brother Nathan, who both have cerebral palsy, says: “I overheard Tony talking about his plan at the bar in the Market Tavern and told him to count me in. I knew I’d need to stretch my legs a little bit more before we started but I’m sure we’ll make it ok.”

Although Tony plans an early morning hike on Wednesdays to Saturdays, he says the two could make the climb in the afternoons on other days.

The pair will start at Lumbutts church and expect the round trip to take just over an hour.

“I have made it to the top of Helvellyn before and I’ve climbed around 70 of the Wainwright peaks in the Lake District but this is something different,” says Tony. “Nothing is going to stop me completing this challenge.”

Although both men admit the early morning hikes in particular – not to mention the weather – might take their toll and require an early bedtime.

Some of Tony’s fellow market traders have posted notice of his plan on their stalls and so far he has raised over £400 from them and their customers.

He has informed the LGI, where his daughter underwent surgery for the removal of a tumour and spinal reconstruction followed by treatment for an infection which followed. She will start chemotherapy this month (February)

Anyone who would like to support the ‘Pike Hike’ can do so at Dawson’s Ironmongers in Todmorden Market, which has been in Tony’s family for almost 100 years.