Shepshed man, 81, ‘elated’ to complete epic charity drive

A grandfather who underwent life-saving lung surgery has said he felt “elated” after driving the length of the UK for charity.

Dave Whittington, 81, spent more than 30 hours behind the wheel of his 57-year-old MGC as he headed south from John O’Groats, arriving at Land’s End on Thursday.

Mr Whittington, from Shepshed in Leicestershire, said he set himself the challenge as part of recovery after he was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in 2020.

“I’m very relieved both me and the car made it in one piece,” he said.

Mr Whittington, who was accompanied by his wife Thelma, 79, said the enormity of the challenge dawned on him when he reached John O’Groats at the northern tip of Scotland.

“I’ve had some health problems, and the car has hardly left Leicestershire in the past 15 years,” he said.

“I thought, ‘What on earth have we put ourselves up to?’

“But we got all the way down to Land’s End in Cornwall, 865 miles in all, without a single problem. I felt elated.”

Mr Whittington, who has 10 grandchildren, underwent life-saving pulmonary endarterectomy surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.

The nine-hour operation involved his heart being stopped and all the blood being drained from his body while clots and scar material were removed from his lungs.

He said he hoped the drive, which involved stops at number of pulmonary hypertension hospital centres, would raise awareness of the condition.

He has also raised more than £1,200 for Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK and Royal Papworth Hospital Charity.

Mr Whittington added: “I want to thank everyone who has supported me and my wife Thelma.

“We spent a lot of time in the car together – and we’re still speaking.”