CYCLISTS gearing up for a coast-to-coast cycle ride are looking for sponsorship to fund research into a rare medical disorder.
Organiser June Kynoch is the grandmother of four-year-old Charlie Whitaker, who suffers from diamond blackfan anaemia.
Her daughter, Michelle Whitaker, has successfully undergone in-vitro fertilisation to create a baby genetically, in the hope that after it is born it will provide Charlie with a life-saving stem cell transplant.
Meanwhile June, from Chester-le-Street, is trying to raise £50,000 for a full-time researcher to look into the condition.
On May 9 she and 38 other cyclists, plus three members of a support team, will set off from Whitehaven in Cumbria and make their way to Sunderland in three days.
June said: "I would like to say we're trying to raise £10,000. But we're looking to raise whatever we can get."
If you would like to help with sponsorship, phone 07790 808720.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article