12 hour 'darts marathon' organised in memory of 'one in a million' dad

Described as a "one in a million" dad, Ian Fisher had a tough 13-month battle with cancer but hung on in his final days to see his son Ben get married, via Facetime as he was becoming seriously ill.

With Ian known as someone who would do anything for his kids and grandkids, Ben wanted to honour his dad's life by doing something out-of-the-ordinary to raise money for other families who had been through similar experiences.

With these events including a charity white collar boxing event and a month-long 56 mile running challenge, the events have raised money for Macmillan Cancer Care, who Ben says were unparalleled in the care of his dad's final days.

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Ben has organised fundraising events in memory of his dad (Image: Ben Fisher)
Describing his dad, Ben, 37, said: "My dad was one in a million. He came across as the big scary biker type riding his Harley with plaits in his beard and skull pendants tying them off.

"But in reality, he was kind and thoughtful. His grandkids were absolutely everything to him and he adored Olivia and Dolly.

"He worked hard all his life as a lorry driver and was always there for me when I used to play football. He would be at every game and when I went into athletics, he and my mum would take me to championships up and down the country and pretty much fund it for me as I was at university at the time.

"When me and my now wife knew his diagnosis was terminal, we arranged and booked our wedding within five weeks as we knew he didn't have much time with us and would love to see us wed.

"Unfortunately he couldn’t make the actual wedding venue as he was really poorly by then but my mum FaceTimed him all the way through.

"Unfortunately it was just over a day later he passed, so he definitely hung on for it just proved how strong-willed he was."

Ian with his recognisable beard plaits (Image: Ben Fisher)
Continuing his fashion of fundraising events in honour of his dad, this year has been organised as a nod to one of Ian's interests, and will see Ben take on a 12 hour 'darts marathon' as another unique way to raise funds for Macmillan.

Taking place on May 25, Ben will host his event at a caravan park in the Lake District, where the family used to spend quality time together.

With a bucket for Macmillan permanently by his side, Ben says he will throw non-stop for 12 hours; which will see him practicing his aim, playing various games, and taking on any challengers on the board.

The events also help Ben to fundraise for Macmillan (Image: Ben Fisher)
Ben, from Newton-le-Willows, added: "Since my dad passed away a couple of years ago, I wanted to do something for Macmillan as a way of remembering him and thanking those who cared for him.

"My dad used to play in local darts leagues in St Helens with this brother, and my mum used to score them, so there's a bit of family history to this challenge.

"The challenges are personal for me, and with darts becoming a lot more popular recently, I thought I'd do something a bit different and reach as many people as possible."

With Ben open to the possibility of further challenges, he has raised more than £700 raised so far for his darts event. You can donate to Ben's fundraiser here.