A Pembrokeshire born dad-of-two who was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable lung and bone cancer has begun an epic fundraising challenge in a bid to raise £1 million.

Craig Maxwell, the WRU’s former head of marketing, will be joined by a number of Welsh celebrities as he takes on the Wales Coast Path, including TV presenter Gethin Jones, Love Island star Liam Reardon, singer Wynne Evans, weather presenter Derek Brockway and a host of rugby players.

The former Tenby boy is hoping to raise a monumental £1m for the Maxwell Family Fund, part of Velindre Cancer Centre, to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales.

Starting in North Wales yesterday (Wednesday, February 14) and cycling from Chester to Menai Bridge, Craig is then being joined by over 500 walkers over the course of the 26-day challenge which covers 780 miles of the coast path to represent the 78 days it took Craig to receive his diagnosis from the point of finding his tumour.

It is being done in 26 days to mirror the QuicDNA project, a genomics research project to reduce diagnosis time for lung cancer patients to a maximum of 26 days.

READ MORE: Person missing after house fire in Carmarthenshire village

After the 780 mile walk, the rest of the 870-mile coast path will be cycled.

Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of his ongoing treatments, Craig will be joined by a different Welsh celebrity every day of the walk, so that regardless of his ability to walk, he will have a representative to take on the challenge.

The Pembrokeshire leg of the walk will take place from February 27 to March 4 when Craig will be joined by Shane Williams, Liam Reardon, Sam Warburton and Tom Shankin to name but a few.

A rugby match ball will also be relayed the entire distance of the challenge, symbolising Wales’ collective fight against cancer. It will end its journey at the the Principality Stadium, on March 10 for the Wales vs France Six Nations match, where Craig accompanied by his children, Isla and Zach, will carry the match ball onto the pitch.

“We are embarking on a monumental challenge to symbolise hope, resilience, and unity, and raise over £1 million for the research and development of new and innovate cancer testing and treatments in Wales,” said Craig.

“Having surpassed our initial fundraising goals of £300,000 for QuicDNA, we really hope people will support us on the Wales Coast Path Challenge. It will be our most ambitious journey yet as we strive to create a community united against cancer across the length and breadth of Wales.

People can support Craig’s efforts either by joining a leg of the challenge via the Maxwell Foundation or by taking on their own fundraising challenge between February and March 10 via velindrefundraising.com.

Paul Wilkins, director at Velindre Cancer Charity, says: “We are calling on everyone in Wales to support Craig’s efforts by walking what you can and raising what you can.

“Every step and every penny will help create a difference to cancer patients and their families here in Wales.

“For those unable to walk, but still keen to support, you can text WALK24 to 70191 to donate £10.”

Craig was just 40 when he was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable EGFR lung and bone cancer. In the face of adversity, having told he had a limited time to live, he has thrown himself into raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to help others detect cancer earlier.

His efforts to date have seen him raise £430,000 to support the QuicDNA project, which aims to shorten the time it takes to diagnose lung cancer in patients in Wales.

Professor Tom Crosby OBE, consultant oncologist in Velindre Cancer Centre, said: “Craig is one of the most inspirational people I have met.

“His drive to improve the outcome for others who experience cancer is just phenomenal. That together with his ability to articulate the issues to the wider public, and his experience and expertise at improving how systems work, is amazing, yet humbling at the same time.”