Man to walk Hadrian’s Wall dressed in Roman regalia in memory of late father

A lawyer set to walk Hadrian’s Wall in memory of his father who died with prostate cancer will do so dressed in full Roman Empire regalia and re-enactment gear.

Jonathan Terry, 39, is a self-proclaimed history fan and hopes wearing the “machismo” gear of Roman legionaries will send a “macho” message to men to “normalise talking about your health” as he raises money for Prostate Cancer UK.

The lawyer from Musselburgh near Edinburgh, Scotland, will be kitted out in a replica helmet, armour, belt and shield thought to be worn by soldiers from the Roman Empire where he will be joined by his brother, Stuart, and his three friends Torbjorn Soltvedt, Alex Clarke and Alun Chave.

The group will walk between 25 and 30 miles from Birdoswald Roman Fort to Chesters Roman Fort in Chollerford starting on Friday and finishing on Sunday morning where they intend to visit other English Heritage sites along the route.

He hopes his walk will encourage men to be more open about their health concerns.

“There’s a machismo that comes with Roman legionaries, but actually what the message is it’s macho to talk about your health and it’s fine and normal,” he told the PA news agency.

“It’s really encouraging men to not be afraid to talk to their mates, but obviously talk to a doctor as well.

“Early diagnosis in these kinds of things can save lives, so I want it to be really about that.”

Staff at the Trimontium Museum in Melrose, Scotland will lend Mr Terry and his friends replica Roman Empire gear for the weekend as they support his fundraising endeavours.

“They (Trimontium Museum) have been amazing since day one,” he said.

“They raided the museum basement and cellars to give us as much equipment as possible.”

Mr Terry described his father, Steve, who died with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2021 as “positive” and believes he would have considered the walk as “a bit mad”.

“There’ll be a sense of sadness that he’s not here for (the walk), but he was a very positive person who would think that I was definitely a bit mad for doing this, but would not be surprised. I think that’s the key thing,” he said.

He added his father’s diagnosis came as a “huge shock” as there was “no history of it in the family”.

“He probably didn’t take the symptoms perhaps as seriously as he might have done if he’d been more aware of what it could be rather than just a factor of just getting older,” Mr Terry explained.

“I think he would be really keen to encourage people to get tested.”

He hopes the proceeds made from his walk will go towards Prostate Cancer UK’s vital research into the disease.

“I think he (his father), and certainly my family, wanted to raise awareness or campaign, as it were, against cancer. We wouldn’t want any family to go through what we went through,” he said.

“There’s a sense of history, meaningfulness and obvious loss and absence that he’s not there, but I think it’s being wrapped up in a really positive way of raising funds and raising awareness for a charity that is dedicated to funding research into fighting this cancer that kills so many men each year.”

The walk will also form part of his 40th birthday celebrations as he always “wanted to do something a little bit mad” while raising money for an important cause.

“What better way to celebrate than to walk Hadrian’s Wall,” he said.

So far, Mr Terry has raised £1,860 surpassing his target of £1,000. To support his fundraiser, you can visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/walkthewall

Prostate Cancer UK are supporting Mr Terry’s fundraiser and want to encourage men to use the charity’s online risk checker to assess their risk of the disease. For more information, visit: https://prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker