Charity cycle for the Sam Keen Foundation

As we announced in March, we are proud to be supporting the Royal Marsden Hospital as our 2012 charity of the year.

Our choice of charity was motivated by the death of Sam Keen, Richard Barcan’s nephew. Sam died in November 2011 from malignant melanoma, having fought a heroic battle with cancer for seven years.

It was unsurprising to those who knew Sam to see that he faced each day with such courage and dignity. He was also very appreciative towards the medical and nursing staff that cared for him. So much so, in fact, that his family were inspired to set up the Sam Keen Foundation in his honour, knowing how much he would have wanted to give back to help others.

This worthwhile cause is committed to raising at least £100,000 for the Royal Marsden Hospital, the UK’s centre of excellence for cancer care, and is receiving tremendous support. Fundraisers have already generated over £80,000, a staggering achievement in only six months.

To support the foundation, Richard Barcan will be taking on his own fundraising challenge this September. And, as a keen cyclist, it’s probably no surprise that he’ll be jumping back into the saddle.

Richard will be participating in the Ride Across Britain, cycling 960 miles in just nine days between Lands End and John O’Groats. This gruelling trek will see Richard covering an average of 106 miles each day and climbing more than 20,000m over the distance.

Richard says “This is a huge challenge but one I am very much looking forward to taking on. It would be wonderful if others could join me for the ride, but I realise this will not appeal to some! Failing that, sponsoring me will help me to reach my personal target of £10 per mile, or £10,000 in total, for the Royal Marsden Hospital via the Sam Keen Foundation – a very worthy charity for an excellent cause.”

How can I help?

You can follow Richard’s training blog at http://rabonrab.blogspot.co.uk/, and we’ll be publishing regular updates here between now and the big event.

If you’d like to check his fundraising progress, or you’d like to donate to the cause, you can also visit Richard’s Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/Richard-Barcan.

Alternatively, you can find out more about Sam Keen and the foundation set up in his name by visiting www.thesamkeenfoundation.com.