Cheshire teacher sets out on charity mission in honour of his beloved late uncle

A teacher from Cheshire is set to embark on three challenges in memory of his beloved uncle, who was well known across the Warrington area.

Woolston-based Andrew Hawley will pay tribute to his uncle, Frank, throughout a mammoth trilogy of challenges later this year. Frank is remembered by many for his years of service as a member of the teaching staff at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, in Latchford.

He was also a much-loved member of the rugby league community in Warrington, having officiated at Challenge Cup and Grand Finals.

Sadly, Frank passed away earlier this year – his popularity was marked at his funeral service, which was held at SS Peter and Michael Catholic Church in Woolston, which was so well-attended that additional seating had to be provided outside the church.

Now, however, Frank is set to be honoured by his nephew, Andrew, with a series of challenges in his name.

Speaking to the Warrington Guardian, Andrew explained that he will be tackling the Great North Run on 10th September, as well as entering Warrington Running Festival’s half-marathon on 24th September.

Andrew will also be tackling the ‘3x3x3 challenge’ between 1st and 4th November – this involves running three miles every three hours for three days.

The challenges will be undertaken with a view to raising funds for St Rocco’s Hospice, which provided palliative care for Frank before he died.

The 41-year-old teacher, who was raised in Woolston, said: “Frank was the family hero, we all looked up to him.

“He achieved so many wonderful things, officiating at Challenge Cup and Grand Finals, becoming a ‘heart and soul’ community award winner at Warrington Wolves, and teaching at least three generations of pupils at Cardinal Newman.

“The list was absolutely endless. His life was all about helping others, about putting others first and the legacy he left us was to be the best versions of us we can be.”

Andrew added: “I just wanted to do something that pushed me to my limits, something that I knew was going to hurt but something that would make him proud.

we cannot thank St Rocco’s enough for everything they did for him, so there was no better place to start.”

When asked what part of the training he thinks will be the hardest, Andrew said: “The early get-ups, and the running on tired legs.

“To be honest, so far I’m really enjoying it.

“As I ramp up my miles and hit some longer runs over the next few weeks I might regret that.

“We are going away soon, so training when I should be sat by the pool or enjoying a beer might be the most difficult element so far.”

Andrew explained that if he were still here, Frank might be telling him that ‘It’ll take some serious graft’ to complete the challenge.

He then said that his wife joked about leaving him for three days after he told her about the challenge he was undertaking, before saying: “The rest of the family keep telling me that they don’t envy me as I’ve got some big shoes to fill and I’m certain that there will never be another like Frank Hawley, but if I can make a little difference to someone else’s family in the future in Frank’s name then I’ll have gone someway to doing it.”

For more information about Andrew’s fundraising challenges for Frank Hawley, visit his JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/andrew-hawley-1689843684605