Fundraising honour for ‘quirky’ pair
AWELSH cycling duo have been named as one of the quirkiest fundraisers of the year after completing a 230-mile bike ride on bicycles made of bamboo.
Consultant cardiologist Dr Adrian Raybould and friend Dan Holley, from Carmarthen, completed the 230 miles from the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire to Kew Gardens in London, raising more than £6,400 for The British Heart Foundation (BHF) which is close to both of their hearts.
The pair are named number four in BHF’s top 10 quirkiest fundraisers over the past 12 months.
It reveals the wild and wonderful things people have done to raise money for life saving research.
Dr Raybould, who works at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, took to the road with his friend, and keen cyclist, Dan Holley back in June to complete the self-titled ‘bamboo challenge’ in just 46 hours.
Dan’s father, Kevin, suffered three heart attacks, and Dr Raybould knows first-hand how devastating heart disease can be through his life-saving work at Glangwili General Hospital.
Dan said: “We decided to do this challenge as my father suffered three heart attacks and as a cardiologist, Adrian sees the effects of heart disease on a daily basis. It was such a shock when my dad had those heart attacks, it shook our family and was such a painful time. Thankfully he survived, but I know there are thousands of others who are not so fortunate. That’s why we decided to fundraise, as we know the money we raise will make a real difference.”
Adrian, who was a BHF fellow for two years when he was sponsored by the charity to conduct research into heart disease, added: “The work I do at Glangwili Hospital brings me face-toface with the devastating impact of heart disease on a daily basis.
“Heart disease is something that can affect everyone, at any age, and completely out of the blue.
“The work the BHF do to research into these conditions and new treatments is incredible, and that is why me and Dan wanted to do something a bit different and go the extra mile to raise money for the charity.”
Around 20,200 people in Carmarthenshire are living with heart and circulatory disease.
Jayne Lewis, fundraising manager for Mid and West Wales at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It is only because of people like Adrian and Dan that we can continue funding our life saving research into beating heart disease.
“It’s great to see all the weird and wonderful ways our fundraisers raise money, and we are so grateful for the time and effort that they put in and the people who support them.
“By following in their footsteps you too could join our fight against heart disease and help us save lives.”