Sheffield Steelers' sponsored walkers prepare to hit the road for charity once again

Media manager David Simms, club photographer Dean Woolley, match-night co-ordinator Neil Edwards and ticket volunteer Elliott Hall will tackle a 50-mile hike from Sheffield to Altrincham on Saturday and Sunday fitting it in around the club's Elite League games against Coventry Blaze and Manchester Storm.

The walk will be done in two stages, with the quartet joined by former Steelers' defenceman Mark Thomas and former club physio Jamie Tunstall when they set off from Sheffield on Saturday morning.

At around 2pm, the walk will temporarily come to a stop to allow the participants to return to Sheffield Arena and carry out their regular match-day duties for the Steelers' clash with Coventry.

Once the game is over and their duties completed for the night, they will return to the spot where they left off and continue their walk through the night and into Sunday with the aim being to reach Altrincham Ice Arena in time for the 5.30pm face-off between the Steelers and hosts Manchester Storm.

All money raised will go towards Prevent Breast Cancer, the chosen charity of Thomas's wife Vicki, who is currently undergoing treatment for the disease after being diagnosed last year.

Former GB international defenceman Thomas is now involved with Manchester’s junior hockey programme and said he and his wife had been amazed at the response from people to their aim of raising awareness and much-needed funding.

"It’s absolutely brilliant the support they have shown Vick and myself," said Thomas. "Sheffield is obviously close to our hearts as we spent a lot of time over there and we still have a lot of friends over there, some still playing. We love that place."

A charity head shave at a game between Sheffield and Manchester in December, which saw Simms and Thomas go under the clippers - along with Steelers' players Ben O’Connor, Robert Dowd, Jonathan Phillips, Aaron Johnson and Tanner Eberle and Storm head coach and former Steelers' favourite Ryan Finnerty - managed to raise £9,000 on the night.

The walk is aiming to raise more than £10,000 and follows in the footsteps of two earlier, similar fund-raising events by the quartet which raised almost £55,000 for charity.

To donate to Prevent Breast Cancer charity via a special Just Giving website page that has been set up click HERE