LOCAL man, Darren Haines will be flying to Peru to raise vital funds for The Brain Tumour Charity on Saturday 30th April.
This is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to fighting this devastating disease and Darren will be raising funds by mountain biking from Machu Picchu across the Andes and down in to the Amazon Rainforest.
Darren, from Frome, was inspired to raise funds for the charity after losing his father, Eric Haines, to the disease in 2012.
This is the first time Darren has attempted an endurance ride of this kind and he has been training hard in preparation for some months.
Darren said, “I am really looking forward to taking on this challenge for such an important cause, although it’s going to be a tough physical challenge with almost 600km of riding over six consecutive days.
“The high altitude is also an unknown factor as I have never experienced anywhere near the height of 4700m (15,420ft) that we will reach at the top of Hualla Hualla Pass.”
Away from the tourist trail, the eight riders participating will be supported by a crew which will go ahead and set up bush camp each day. Camping will be basic but hopefully sufficient to keep them fed, rested and motivated.
Darren is completely self funding the trip so every penny raised will go directly to The Brain Tumour Charity. Donations can be made through his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/Darren-Haines-Peru
Over 9,300 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year and brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, yet less than 2% of cancer research funding goes on brain tumours in the UK.
The Brain Tumour Charity says it is determined to change these shocking statistics and is committed to investing £25million into world-class, pioneering research over the next five years.
The charity offers a comprehensive service to enable everyone with a brain tumour, their families and carers to receive the best support and information and achieve the highest quality of life possible, as well as raising awareness of brain tumours to improve life chances and reduce diagnosis times.
Geraldine Pipping, the charity’s head of fundraising said, “We are extremely grateful for all the efforts made by our fantastic fundraisers and wish them all the very best. Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s and, unlike other cancers, survival rates have not improved over the last 40 years. We are leading the way in changing this and truly fighting brain tumours on all fronts through our work.
“We receive no government funding and rely 100% on voluntary donations, so it’s only through the efforts of people like Darren that we can change these shocking statistics in the future and bring hope to the thousands of people who are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year.”
