3:55pm Thursday 21st June 2012
A family friendship has prompted a Rawdon man to raise more than £1,000 for charity by completing a cycle ride described as the most ambitious in Britain.
Stephen Corcoran cycled from Conwy in north Wales to Worm’s Head on the Gower Peninsula via Snowdonia and the Brecons – known as the Sam Helen Trail – to raise funds for Action Duchenne.
The charity has been supporting the six-year-old son of his partner’s former work colleague. Alex Leicestershire was diagnosed two years ago with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common severe muscle-wasting disease in the UK.
Stephen, 38, who completed the trail by mountain bike, is hoping to raise a total of £2,000.
“The suggested time to complete the route is at least seven days, but he set out to finish in less than 42 hours during three days.
Before setting off, he said: “I lead an active lifestyle and relish this new challenge. What makes this even more poignant for myself and Kate – who used to work with Emma, mother of Alex – is that we are getting out there and not only helping someone we know, but a very worthwhile and often overlooked cause.”
Stephen, pictured, works for Santander in Morley as a programme manager, and the bank has promised to match a donation of up to £700.
The challenge took him over rough and mountainous terrain in horrendous weather.
But despite the difficulties, he managed to achieve his aim of covering 270 miles in three days.
You can still sponsor Stephen by visiting www.actionduchenne.
org/stopwasting/usr6993973492/event/808/north-to-south-wales-mountain. E-mail diana@action-duchenne.org for further inform-ation about Action Duchenne.
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