Man proposes to partner after walking 96 miles in 36 hours in memory of her son

Benjamin Ward, 44, completed his latest West Highland Way challenge in 36 hours and 48 minutes last Sunday (Benjamin Ward/PA) Danyel Vanreenen 1 minute ago A Scottish man rounded off a 96-mile charity challenge in honour of his partner and her late son by proposing to her at the finish line.

Benjamin Ward, 44, from Falkirk , said they were his “sole focus” as he completed the West Highland Way, a long distance hiking trail, in 36 hours and 48 minutes.

When he crossed the finish line in Fort William last Sunday, he got down on one knee and asked partner Natasha Goldthorpe, 37, from Irvine, to marry him.

He told the Press Association: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in what I managed to do, because I was so just focused on trying to do it for Natasha and Liam – that was really my sole focus in it.”

Ms Goldthorpe’s son Liam had a rare and progressive condition called BPAN, a disorder that damages the nervous system and gradually gets worse.

In memory of Liam, Mr Ward, a manager at a tiling company in Irvine, decided to walk the 96-mile route in one continuous push to raise money for one of the charities that helped the teenager’s family.

Ms Goldthorpe said: “Liam had a progressive condition, but he was always happy and smiley.

Benjamin Ward was raising money for the Together for Short Lives charity in honour of his partner, Natasha Goldthorpe’s, son Liam, who passed away last October (Benjamin Ward/PA) “He had a really contagious smile. He was giggly. He’d find noises really funny. He was just such a gorgeous boy.”

Mr Ward said in the time he shared with Liam, he witnessed incredible strength both from the youngster and his mother.

“I got to know Natasha and I was very much blown away by the care and love and relationship between her and Liam,” he said.

Last August, he took on his first West Highland Way challenge in honour of Liam, walking the trail in two-and-a-half days to raise money for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland, another charity that supported the family.

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At the end of that challenge, Ms Goldthorpe confessed her feelings for Mr Ward. Since then, he said the trail has felt like a special place for them both.