WHEN pensioner Brian Ratcliffe sets off on a 500-mile solo walk it will be to remember five loved ones he has lost.

The 72-year-old is walking in memory of his partner Sue Yates, his daughter Emily his grandchildren Ben and Eve and his wife Jan.

The retired engineer, from Amberley, near Painswick, will walk the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago in Spain.

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage route to the shrine of the apostle St James in northwestern Spain.

Brian will take six weeks to complete the one million steps and says it is something he needs to do on his own.

“I need to take time out to deal with all the cruel and sad things that have happened to me, try to grieve, make sense of it all and rebuild my life again,” he said.

“I need a challenge that will be demanding physically, emotionally and mentally and help me celebrate beating prostate cancer.

“I need to surround myself with strangers, put my trust in others and heal myself.”

Brian is raising money for Longfield which has supported him in many ways over the years.

He first received bereavement counselling from Longfield in 2001 following the death of his wife Jan in 2000.

It was through a Longfield bereavement support group, that he met Sue, whose husband had died.

“We helped each other come to terms with the terrible shock and hurt of losing a loved one,” said Brian.

“We became friends, got to know each other and fell in love. We were lucky. We had fallen in love for a second time and life was good.”

Sue became a regular volunteer in the fundraising team and Brian would volunteer at events.

In 2006 Brian had a granddaughter Eve who was stillborn. In 2014 his daughter Emily died following cardiac arrest. Her son Ben, who was born 26 weeks premature, sustained a brain haemorrhage and died the same day as his mum.

Brian had his own health scare with prostate cancer in 2014 when he had surgery.

Last year Sue died of lung cancer. She was 69. Longfield’s Hospice at Home team supported Brian and Sue’s son Alex by providing overnight care.

“Longfield is a very special organisation, providing Hospice at Home, helping patients with life-limiting illnesses and offering counselling support for carers and families,” he said.

To donate to Brian’s walk, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brianscaminowalk