Former England rugby legend and
British Lion, Roger Uttley, is saddling up for a huge cycling
challenge in memory of his close friend and Lions team member, Andy
Ripley OBE, who died from prostate cancer almost two years ago.
Northumberland resident Roger will be setting off from London on
30th May and cycling eighty miles a day until he reaches Paris,
which is expected to take three days.
Roger is aiming to raise a total of £3,000, which shall be
shared between two charities very close to his heart: Sparks, the
children's medical research charity, and The Prostate Cancer
Charity.
In preparation for the big event Roger also took on a forty
kilometre rowing challenge during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
in March to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and a
disease in which killed his best friend, a long time ambassador of
The Prostate Cancer Charity.
Roger said: "I decided to take on the forty kilometre rowing
challenge to help raise awareness of prostate cancer which robbed
me of my best mate, Andy Ripley. It is also part of my
training for an even bigger challenge I am taking on in May
where I will be cycling from London to Paris to raise money for The
Prostate Cancer Charity and Sparks.
"I will be cycling eighty miles a day for three to four days -
it will be tough and it's something Andy and I talked about doing
together. At 63, I want to test myself and see where I'm at as well
as raise vital funds for Sparks to keep babies healthy and for The
Prostate Cancer Charity to help prevent men, especially
those my age, having to go through what Andy did."
Mark Bishop, Director of Fundraising at The Prostate Cancer
Charity, said: "We are thrilled that Roger has decided to take on
this challenge to help raise funds and awareness for the Charity.
Every year, 37,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK
- and it is a disease which kills one man every hour. Every penny
raised will go towards our work supporting men and their families
affected by the disease. Our thanks go to Roger and we wish him all
the best of luck with his challenge."
To sponsor Roger and find out more about his challenge please
visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=RogerUttley