Tourism boss gets on his bike

A FATHER-of-two who survived cancer will cycle 100 miles to Warrington tomorrow ( Saturday) in a bid to raise £10,000 for charity.
Head of Tourism Strategy for the Warrington-based Northwest Regional Development Agency, Phil Reddy, will cycle from the agency’s Penrith office at 7.30am Saturday, and hopes to arrive at the head office at 5pm.
Phil, 54, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus in March 2009.
While undergoing chemotherapy Phil, father to Jake, four, and Tom, eight, decided to buy a bike and use it to raise money for cancer charities.
He said: “Finding out that you have cancer is a horrible shock, but the hospital was very quick at checking whether the cancer had spread, which thankfully it hadn’t, and then at getting my treatment started. Over 60 per cent of people diagnosed with this cancer die within 12 months, so despite all the complications, I feel very lucky.
“While I was undergoing chemotherapy I wanted to find something to keep my spirits up so I decided to buy a new racing bike and use it to raise money for cancer charities. Raising money is a way of giving something back – of saying thank you in a way.”
After Phil was diagnosed he underwent three months of chemotherapy and then major surgery in September last year. This was followed by a complication that kept him in hospital for nearly three months.
He will be joined on the ride by eight colleagues and friends on the entire ride and four others for the last 10 miles from Wigan to Warrington. They are raising money for two charities Cancer Research UK and Cancer Care.
Anyone interested in helping can sponsor the riders at www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/100.miles