Everton and Liverpool supporters put football rivalries aside as they joined forces for a 20-mile fundraising walk in aid of Blues fan Leon Skapars.
The group walked from Southport Football Club to Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, travelling through Ormskirk, Maghull and Aintree before stopping at Anfield on their way to the finish line.
Leon, 35, is a devoted father to three young sons and has been told he may have only a few years left to live following a late cancer diagnosis.
His family and friends are aiming to raise £100,000 to explore clinical trials, access specialist cancer consultants in America and Germany, and support the limited treatment options currently available to him.
Friends came up with the idea of walking 20 miles — one mile for every year they have known Leon — to show their support for him, his wife Crystal and their children.
Close friend Paul Mills said:
“We’ve been friends for over 20 years and Leon has always been there for us. We’ve hit a time in our lives, with young kids and stuff, where we don’t really see each other like we used to, but when we do it’s like we’ve never been apart.
“What’s happening to Leon, Crystal and the boys is just heartbreaking and we all put our heads together to see how we could help.
“After knocking about a few things, we hit upon the idea of walking from Southport, where the family live, through to Anfield and ending at Leon’s beloved Everton.
“Most of us are Liverpool fans, but Leon is a massive Evertonian so we wanted to try and end there because we wanted it to be about him.
“Both clubs have been absolutely fantastic with the support they’ve offered us, and when we contacted Everton, they offered to meet us and give us a little stadium tour so we could end the walk inside the stadium.
“They’ve also offered Leon and the family tickets for a Premier League game and a visit to the training ground to meet all the players, so we couldn’t have asked for a better response. They’ve been amazing.”
Several participants travelled from as far away as South Wales to take part in the challenge.
They were also joined by well-known Everton fundraiser Speedo Mick, who donned his famous blue swimming trunks after discovering Leon’s story online and offered his support to help spread the fundraising message.
The walk brought together supporters from both sides of Stanley Park, demonstrating how football can unite communities when a family needs help.
After crossing the finish line at Everton’s waterfront home, the group revealed that the challenge had raised around £12,000 towards the six-figure target.
Leon’s friends now hope the achievement will continue to resonate with football supporters across the region and encourage more people to contribute to the appeal.
The funds will help Leon and his family investigate additional treatment opportunities while giving them greater hope for the future and more precious time together.
Paul added:
“How Crystal is holding herself together at the moment, I don’t know. She never stops on social media, because they need £100,000 to fund the treatment.
“As a group, we’ve raised around £12,000 so far through the walk and we have a friend in Australia who’s raised £10,000 over there.
“The family themselves have raised about £35,000 online, so we’re getting there. But we’ve a long way to go and a lot of momentum needs to be carried on with it.
“Hopefully the ‘Walk For Leon’ pushes it a bit further because there’s nobody quite like Scousers for getting behind a worthy cause. And Leon is more than worthy.”
The GoFundMe link set up for Leon’s family can be found here.
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