A Brentwood resident has set up a walking business three years after being diagnosed with leukaemia.
Julian Goode launched Goode Walks in a bid to pass on his “love of the outdoors” to others through leading bespoke guided walks.
The father-of-two has lived in Brentwood since 2007 with his wife of more than 20 years Claire and their two teenage children Emily, 18, and Nicholas, 16.
He said his cancer diagnosis in May 2019 was “life-changing”, forcing him to quit his job as a digital media consultant.
“I swiftly went from feeling devastated to feeling quite assured by the care I got in Barts Hospital in London," Julian said.
“Within the first day they’d given me an indication of a path through chemotherapy and having a stem cell transplant that gave me hope of remission, moving forward and a life after it,” said the 56-year-old.
Julian encourages anyone facing a cancer diagnosis to “focus on the positives, “listen to your friends and family”, and “have something to hold on to”, which for him was the treatment plan and what he wanted to do after.
Following a career in journalism and digital media of more than 30 years, Julian said he came up with idea of leading walks while undergoing treatment.
He is qualified as a mountain lowland leader, outdoors first-aid trained, a certified mental health first aider and a member of the Mountain Training Association, British Mountaineering Council and Institute for Outdoor Learning.
Goode Walks offers guided walks for individuals, businesses or groups and all walking activities can be tailored to suit individual needs.
Walks can be run anywhere in Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, east London and across east Anglia and the south east of England, with introductions to navigation and map-reading also available to book.
He said: “My mission for Goode Walks is to help everyone I possibly can to enjoy the great outdoors – leading guided tailored walks and hikes for individuals and groups of all kinds in the Essex countryside and further afield.”
One of his favourite walks in his area is through Thorndon Country Park in Brentwood.
On October 5, Julian will trek 500 miles coast to coast across all four countries of the UK over the course of six weeks to raise money for Barts Charity and blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.
Sponsor him at https://www.justgiving.com/team/AReallyGoodeWalk.
Find out more about Goode Walks at https://goodewalks.co.uk/
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