LUCY Taylor will take on a marathon walk in aid of the Wroughton hospice that cared for her husband in the final weeks of his life.

Former Swindon Panther ice hockey club captain Darren Taylor died last April after a battle with a rare form of nerve cancer called malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour. He was just 36-years-old.

More than a year on, wife Lucy is taking to the streets of London for the 26-mile fundraising walk in aid of Prospect Hospice.

Lucy, 34, from Old Town, said: “Darren was just my everything. He was the love of my life. He changed my life. He was just the most loving man and he’d do anything for anybody.

“Life has been horrible without him.”

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The pair met by chance one Boxing Day, when Lucy was on a night out in Swindon with her sister. They were married in May 2017 and, six months later, Darren was diagnosed with cancer.

She said: “He was more knowledgeable than Google. He knew everything. If you needed some advice you’d go to Darren – and if he didn’t know you’d go to Google.

“He was outspoken, the life and soul of the party. He brought all his friends and family together.”

After Darren was diagnosed with cancer, doctors said he was too ill to risk operating on the tumour. The cancer caused his spine to break just as he was about to begin a second round of chemotherapy. His doctors said they could not risk more chemo while his bones were broken.

After spending months in hospital, Darren moved to a private room at the Prospect Hospice last March.

Describing the care they received as brilliant, Lucy said: “You could see he was more relaxed and comfortable. We’d been living in hospitals for three months, so this was a little more comfortable. All the staff were friendly. They had a little old lady come in and massage his feet. They looked after me as well. They even cooked for me.”

In September, Lucy will take on the 26-mile walk, pounding the same route through the capital as the famous London Marathon. She is one of 25 people embarking on the walk to raise funds for Prospect.

“This is the only way I can give back,” she said. “I wanted to raise whatever I could for Prospect and help them in some way.”

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She has asked generous businesses to donate prizes to an online raffle she hopes will raise cash for the cause. Already, two of Darren’s favourite Old Town restaurants, Kenzo and Siam Thai, have donated free meals.

To donate to Lucy’s run and to contact her about raffle prizes, visit her online fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-taylor74.

Last month, Darren's former team mates raised almost £5,500 for Prospect with a fundraising ice hockey match.