Friends get on bikes to help Hayley

TWO friends from Warrington are planning a 24-hour charity bike ride to raise funds to help a friend struck down by a rare muscle-weakening condition after suffering an allergic reaction to an innoculation.
John Gartland, 24, and Tom Sherrington, 25, both Great Sankey, want to raise awareness of Guillian-Barre Syndrome, which has paralysed their friend, Hayley Watson, from the neck down following an allergic reaction she had before embarking on a trip to Africa to coach football.
Before falling ill, Hayley had wanted to change the lives of unfortunate children in Africa by coaching football to raise AID’s awareness.
Now she has been in hospital for a year and is still battling to recover from the illness.
The three met while studying at Edge Hill University and John and Tom are hopeful they can reach their £2,000 target. The figure currently stands at more than £1,300 – but they still need all the support they can get.
Guillian-Barre Syndrome is a rare condition where the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system and further research is needed to try and reach an understanding of it and a possible way to beat it.
The duo will attempt the gruelling feat at the Warrington campus of Chester University on April 18, starting at 9.30am and finishing at the same time the following day.
A website has been setup to allow people to donate over the web – www.justgiving.com/John-Tom
Hayley is still doing her bit from her hospital bed. She has a blog which she updates weekly via a voice activated laptop; http://hayleysrecovery.blogspot.com