A Pembrokeshire headteacher will spend the first week of the Easter holidays on a 186 mile coastal trek in honour of a friend taken too soon, and to raise money for a children’s cancer charity.

Cleddau Reach VC headteacher, Rhys Buckley, is setting off along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in memory of his good friend Howell Lewis, who died from cancer two decades ago.

Rhys and Howell played rugby together from a young age before going on to Tasker Milward secondary school together.

“Howell was a fantastic friend,” said Rhys. “He was one hell of a rugby player, representing school, town and county with a fearless attitude.

“He wasn’t the biggest flanker in the world, but he’d take on anyone and back himself. As a mate, he was exactly what you wanted: funny, loyal and always up to something that would get him or us into bother.”

When the pair were doing their GCSE’s Howell was diagnosed with cancer.

“Despite how scary that must have been for him, I don’t remember a time when he showed us any sign of that,” said Rhys.

Tivyside Advertiser: Rhys Buckley is raising money for LATCH by walking the coast path in memory of his friend Howell.Rhys Buckley is raising money for LATCH by walking the coast path in memory of his friend Howell. (Image: Rhys Buckley)

“Whenever he was home from hospital, we’d be round his house and he was always as he was in school. Looking back, especially towards the end, he must have been terrified, but he was brave as hell and I don’t think he wanted us to see him down or scared.”

Howell died in 2003. He has never been forgotten by his childhood friends.

“Those of us who were close to him still feel very proud to have known him and also extremely sad that he never had the opportunity to grow up and experience what we’ve been lucky enough to have over the last twenty years,” said Rhys.

“I often wonder, if Howell were still with us, what he'd be doing and what he would have achieved. I'm extremely confident that wherever he was, he'd be by the sea. The fact he never got to have these sort of adventures means the least we can do is give it a crack.”

Rhys is raising money for LATCH during his coast path challenge. The charity, which supports children who are being treated by the Oncology Unit at the Children's Hospital of Wales, as well as their families, was a tremendous support to Howell and his family and they are still doing this vital work today.

Rhys hopes to complete the path in a week, setting out from St Dogmaels and arriving at Amroth on Good Friday.

The mileage covered will be the equivalent of just over a marathon each day, with a total of 35,000 feet of ascent and descent along the way.

“Doing it seven days in a row will be a step into the unknown,” said Rhys. “Ultimately, you only need to think about the families across Wales that are going through the same thing Howell and his family went through to put things into perspective.”

To sponsor Rhys, visit the JustGiving link above. If you would like to join him on the path, contact him via Instagram @rhysbuckley,