Botham off on new walk in aid of leukaemia research

England cricket great Sir Ian Botham unveiled plans for his latest charity walk on Tuesday, saying he would not stop until childhood leukaemia had ceased totally to be a fatal condition.

Former all-rounder Botham's 13th charity walk will start in April next year and take him on a 10-town tour of England.

'Beefy's Great Forget Me Not Walk' will also mark the 25th anniversary of his first trek in aid of leukaemia research.

"My walk in 2010 will be extra special for me," Botham said on Tuesday.

"I never forget why I put myself through the pain and blisters. I won't stop until we beat childhood leukaemia. We're up to about 90 percent survival now and that's remarkable."

Botham, who heads out to South Africa on Wednesday to commentate on England's tour for television satellite broadcaster Sky, has so far raised some 10 million pounds (16.67 million dollars) for leukaemia research.

When the now 53-year-old Botham set off on his first walk, a 900-mile length of Britain effort from Scotland's John O'Groats to England's Land's End in 1985, only 20 percent of children with leukaemia survived.

Botham's efforts were inspired after a visit while still a player for Somerset, the county where he made his name as a cricketer, to Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital for treatment on a broken toe.

He took a turn into the wrong ward where he was stunned to learn some of the children had only weeks to live.