Rover’s return

An energetic and generous postman turned bad luck to his advantage after a marathon fundraising walk ended in disappointment.

Richie Hellon, from Birkenhead delivery office, spent six days trudging 274 miles to watch his beloved Tranmere Rovers Football Club play at Dover Athletic and raise some cash for a colleague’s seriously ill niece along the way.

However, just ten minutes after completing the trek, the footsore postie was stunned to hear the National League match had been called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

‘I thought someone was having a laugh,’ he said. ‘I felt a bit down for a couple of minutes, but thinking about what I had achieved really helped.’

Richie’s luck immediately improved as his story spread on social media, attracting a flood of donations from sympathetic fans across Britain.

He had hoped to raise £1,000 towards treatment for four-year-old Edie Molyneux, who has a rare type of brain tumour, but his total has since soared past £4,000.

‘I’ve worked with Ruth Mann for about 12 months and I was speaking to her about her niece, Edie, in December,’ he said.

‘I was going to the game anyway, so I thought I’d do a sponsored walk to get there. The hills were never-ending, it rained for the last two days and I lost two toenails, but Edie’s family were really happy and grateful.’

A few weeks later, Richie returned to Dover (by coach) for the rearranged match and was rewarded with a Tranmere victory – ultimately the team also made a triumphant return to League Two. And there was further good news as Edie is responding well to treatment at a specialist clinic in Mexico.