Hi there, I'm Stuart Farrimond, and on the longest Saturday of this year (24th June 2023) I will be cycling the Chase the Sun coast-to-coast ride on a tandem bike for Brain Tumour Research. The ride involves cycling the 334km (207 miles) from Minster-on-Sea on the Kent coast to Weston-Super-Mare on the west coast in the time it takes the sun to rise and set (4.39am until 21.32.pm). As someone who has been living with a brain tumour diagnosis since 2008 and have undergone multiple surgeries as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, this cause is incredibly important to me. Brain Tumours represent the leading cause of cancer deaths in the under 40s in the UK, yet the condition receives less than 2% of total cancer research spend.

Fundraising Goal:

My goal is to raise £5,000 for Brain Tumour Research. This money will be used to fund vital research into brain tumours, with the aim of finding new treatments and, ultimately, a cure. Every pound raised will make a difference to people like me who have been affected by brain tumours.

My Story:

I was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2008, aged 25, while working as a doctor at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. After surgery that year, it left me with epilepsy and chronic fatigue, which forced me to leave the medical profession. With much love and support from family and friends, I retrained to work as a teacher and worked in a further education college for three years before becoming a full-time science communicator and author, which is what I do now and have had the privilege of having four books published and to make regular television and radio appearances. My tumour was originally diagnosed as a low-grade tumour when it was removed but it slowly regrew and needed further surgery in 2019, when it was found to have advanced into a larger, more aggressive high-grade tumour. This meant that I needed to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although I’m now well recovered, my balance and depth perception are not what they used to be and so after a couple of accidents, some broken teeth and a broken jaw, it became clear that I needed a safer way to cycle. This is when good friend and cyclist, Mike Brooks, comes in (see photo gallery). Now, Mike can steer as we both pedal furiously and I can watch the world go by, feed him snacks and take photos! This mammoth ride is going to be our longest ride by far (our biggest training ride was 200km, and there weren’t too many tears!). For the ride we are indebted to fellow tandemers Chalky and Yvonne Meeks who are selflessly ferrying us and our bike around and being our support crew for the day.

Join Me:

Please join me in the fight against brain tumours. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference to the lives of those affected by this disease.

Thanks so much.

If you want to follow how things go, I will post photos on the big day on Instagram.