They met at primary school – now a County Durham man is tackling a trek across the Sahara in his wife’s memory. PETER BARRON reports
IT’S the kind of primary school photo every child brings home – but, for Paul Mather, it’s a treasured memory of how he met the love of his life.
Fifty-three years after the happy picture was taken at Aycliffe Village Primary School, Paul is preparing to embark on an epic challenge in memory of his wife, Julie, who died from cancer in April.
Next November, Paul and his son, Andrew, will walk 50 kilometres across the Sahara Desert to raise money for St Teresa’s, the Darlington hospice where Julie was cared for during the final two weeks of her life.
“They couldn’t have done enough for us, so we want to do something positive to say thank you,” says Paul.
Julie’s loss clearly remains painful, and there are times when they can’t hold back the tears, but Paul and Andrew are telling the family’s story to maximise support for the hospice, which celebrates an important milestone in 2026.
It's 40 years since a letter was published in the Evening Despatch, then in The Northern Echo and Darlington & Stockton Times, asking: “Why doesn’t Darlington have a hospice?”
The letter, from Yvonne Rowe, led to the opening of St Teresa’s, and Julie was one of countless patients who have benefited from its priceless end-of-life care since then.
Paul was nine when he first met Julie. He’d started at the local school when his parents, Alan and Maud, moved into Aycliffe Village, having found the ideal premises to expand their hobby of breeding Rough Collies.
Not only was Alan Life President of Northumberland and Durham Collie Club, but also a respected judge at Crufts.
Julie, whose dad was a policeman, moved into the village three months after Paul, and the pair soon struck up a friendship.
“We used to play as kids on the green in front of the 3M factory – we just got on really well as friends right from the start,” recalls Paul.
It wasn’t until they’d moved on to Woodham Comprehensive – catching the 722 bus together every morning – that they became boyfriend and girlfriend.
There were a couple of break-ups along the way, but the couple married as 21-year-olds at St Andrew’s Church, in Aycliffe Village, in 1984.
After initially living in Newton Aycliffe, they moved back to Aycliffe Village and had a daughter, Laura, in 1989, with Andrew following in 1993.
Paul became UK Health and Safety Risk Manager at Husqvarna, while Julie dedicated her life to nursing, with a career spanning four decades, mainly in intensive care at Bishop Auckland General Hospital.
Despite being a talented runner in her schooldays, a keep fit enthusiast throughout adulthood, and a non-smoker, Julie was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2021, by which time she was working at Darlington’s Woodlands Hospital.
“She’d always kept herself so fit and healthy – we were in total shock,” recalls Paul.
After treatment at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, including gene therapy and chemotherapy, Julie successfully applied for a two-year cancer trial at Christie’s Hospital, in Manchester, where her strength in enduring 16 chemotherapy sessions amazed the medical team.
She was on track to go on another trial at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Centre, in Newcastle, but her condition deteriorated and she went into St Teresa’s before passing away on April 26, three weeks after the 41st anniversary of her marriage to Paul.
Moved by the compassion shown by St Teresa’s, and the financial plight facing hospices, Paul and Andrew vowed to show their support and signed up for the Sahara Trek.
Billed as “a journey of purpose and adventure”, the trek takes place between November 12 and 17, 2026, with Paul and Andrew sharing a tent during a six-day round trip from Marakesh, through the desert and spectacular Atlas Mountains.
“I’m trying to put in the training, but the nearest we’ve got to any sand is walking along the beach at Seaton Carew!” smiles Paul, who played football in the Northern League for Evenwood, Shildon, West Auckland, and Crook after starting out in the Wearside League with Aycliffe.
“The walk in the Sahara is going to be something different and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s in memory of Julie, of course, and for a fantastic cause.”
The cause is made even more personal by the fact that Paul’s Uncle Tony also died in St Teresa’s last month.
Andrew, a software engineer, has a big year ahead. Before embarking on the trek, he and his fiancé, Lauren, are due to become parents for the first time in March, while Andrew’s sister, Laura, gets married in the same month.
- To support Paul and Andrew, please go to www.justgiving.com and search for 'Paul Mather In Memory of Julie'
- To sign up for the Sahara Trek in aid of St Teresa’s Hospice, please go to: www.darlingtonhospice.org.uk/trek2026/
“It's going to be a busy year," he admits, "and the only time I’ve walked anywhere near 50k in a week is when I was at Glastonbury!"
He describes his Mum as "the kindest, most caring and positive person".
“She never blamed anyone and was just grateful for the care she was given. She always supported everything we did as a family, and she’d definitely have been behind us doing the walk,” he adds.
So far, Paul and Andrew have raised nearly £6,000 on their Just Giving page with a year to go before they fly out to the desert, and Nicola Myers, Chief Executive of St Teresa’s Hospice, hopes others will follow in their footsteps.
“We've got 21 people signed up for the Sahara Trek so far, but there are still places for anyone looking to join Paul and Andrew on the adventure of a lifetime," she says.
“Their story is so moving and powerful, and we are so grateful for their support in tackling this challenge in memory of such a special person.”
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