A bricklayer employed by housing group Thirteen, is cycling hundreds of miles for charities very close to his heart.
Tony Waite, who has worked for Thirteen for 17 years is cycling over 300 miles from London to Paris next month.
The money he raises will be donated to Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) and the Butterwick and Teesside Hospice.
Tony’s daughter, now 21 was diagnosed with PWS, a rare and complicated condition, when she was just a couple of weeks old. Caused by a defect on chromosome number 15, it affects just one in every 15,000 children born in the UK and is characterised by learning difficulties, low pain threshold and growth abnormalities.
Setting off on September 2nd, the journey will take the group eight days.
Tony said: “I’ve done the Coast to Coast recently, but this is the longest bike ride I’ll have ever done.
“I’ve done a lot of fundraising in the past, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and completed the trek to Machu Picchu. It’s all been funded by myself with every penny going to really worthwhile causes.
“I’m doing this because I enjoy it and it’s a great way to raise money for some really worthwhile charities. PWS was something I’d never heard of until my daughter was born and now it will always be a part of our life and the Butterwick and Teesside Hospice are two local charities who deserve a lot of credit and support for everything they do for local people.
“We want to raise as much as possible, so any donations will be really appreciated.”
You can support Tony and make a donation at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AntonyWaite#