By Isle of Wight ObserverA man who was rescued by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) and the MND Association has raised £40,000 with his friend.
Tim Daniels, was rescued by in August 2013, and his old Winchester Rugby Football Club (RFC) friend, Rob Sanderson, have since teamed up to raise an outstanding amount of money for the vital emergency service and motor neurone disease charity.
On the August 26 2013, the HIOWAA Critical Care Team was called to a cycling accident in Owslebury, near Winchester.
Tim had been out on a bike ride with friends when he hit a telegraph pole, head-on, at 30mph. Without the quick thinking of his friends, and the rapid response of the team, Tim’s outcome could have been very different.
As his way of saying thank you, Tim joined forces with his old Winchester RFC friend to take on the epic challenge of cycling 700 miles from Caen to Cannes in eight days.
The duo set themselves the ambitious target of raising £40,000, to be split equally between HIOWAA and the MND Association.
They set off across the channel on Saturday (August 18) and eight gruelling days later, they had completed the cycle challenge; five years to the day since Tim’s accident and with £20,000 raised for both charities.
Tim said: “The Caen to Cannes challenge was an important milestone for both Robbie and me. It was the hardest challenge of my life, but also one of the best experiences. We had plenty of highs, lows and emotional moments, culminating at the finish in Cannes where my wife and family were waiting!”
Not wanting to stop there, and eager to reach their ambitious target, the group also arranged a charity ball and auction, which took place on Saturday (September 15) at the Holiday Inn, Winchester.
The auction lot included a holiday at a luxury villa in Antigua and a new Kask Cycle Helmet, similar to the one that saved Tim’s life. The evening raised over £20,000. With donations still coming in, the team believe they could hit a combined total of £45,000.
Amongst those in attendance at the event was HIOWAA CEO Alex Lochrane, who said: “The effort that Tim and Rob have put into raising funds for HIOWAA and MND is phenomenal. Not only will the money raised make a huge difference to our charity, but the awareness they have generated is priceless. Thank you to all involved.”
Tim continued: “The Ball on Saturday evening was the perfect way to close out our fundraising challenge. Whilst the money pledged from the auction was staggering, I was touched at how many people wanted to know more about HIOWAA and MND and pleased that we had managed to raise the profile of these two great charities along our journey.”
To support Tim and Rob- https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CaentoCannes
