AS Sir Ian Botham laces up his trainers for his legendary fund-raising walk, he is calling on Marks & Spencer customers to show their support and help beat childhood leukaemia by purchasing a charity pin badge for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

Throughout April, the pin badges will be sold in main chain M&S stores across the country for the suggested donation of £1. All of the proceeds will go to Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Every pin badge sold will help the charity improve treatments and cures for childhood leukaemia.

From Saturday until Monday, April 19, Sir Ian will be walking more than 150 miles through 10 towns over 10 days on his 25th anniversary fund-raising walk for the blood cancer charity.

In 1985, when”Beefy” first started walking for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, the survival rate for the most common form of childhood leukaemia was just 20 per cent. Now the survival rate is 90 per cent.

M&S employees across the UK are getting behind Sir Ian with in-store fundraising activities planned throughout the duration of the walk. As an official sponsor of the walk, M&S is also providing Sir Ian and his walking crew with food and clothing for their journey.

Steve Rowe, director of retail at Marks & Spencer, said: “This is the third year that we are supporting Sir Ian Botham’s legendary fund-raising walk and we’re honoured to do so again. Sir Ian will start each leg of his walk at one of our stores and our employees across the country are right behind him with a range of fund-raising activities planned.

“We hope all of our customers buy a pin badge in support Sir Ian’s walk to beat childhood leukaemia and help us raise a record amount.”

Places on each stage of the walk will fill up quickly. To join Sir Ian on one of his walks, contact Botham Walk fund-raising co-ordinator, David Blandford, on 020 7685 5143 or email beefy25@lrf.org.uk or visit www.beefy25.com.

Public parts of the walk take in Birmingham’s Sutton Park, on Sunday, April 11 and Croome Park, Worcestershire on Monday, April 12.