A man left severely disabled after a car accident is preparing to take on his “toughest” physical challenge to help fund the fight to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.
Royal Navy veteran Paul Smith OBE, a wheelchair user from Copnor in Portsmouth, is busy training for a 1,000-mile handcycle from John o’ Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.
The 65-year-old is hoping to complete the challenge in less than two weeks and is adding in an additional 169 miles taking him around the base of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Wales, covering three countries in aid of Brain Tumour Research.
Paul has used a wheelchair for more than three decades. He lives with a brain injury which causes constant migraines, as well as permanent injuries to his neck, shoulder, chest and wrist.
He will complete his epic traverse on a specially built handcycle and will encounter more than a dozen peaks with an eye-watering combined elevation of 1,604km. He said: “When I’m not exercising in the gym, I’m outside training on the hills around Portsmouth but they’re like pimples compared to the inclines I’ll be faced with during this challenge.”
His latest fundraiser is inspired by fellow Brain Tumour Research supporter and campaigner Jenny Weller (above with Paul), a personal trainer from Burgess Hill in West Sussex, who died in May 2022 after developing 14 brain tumours within 18 months. She was 37.
Paul, who also lost his grandmother to the disease, said: “I met Jen when she abseiled Spinnaker Tower for the charity as I was a volunteer at the event. There was something about her presence that left me in awe. She was a fearless ambassador for the cause. Her death broke me but ignited my fight to do something, inspired by her determination and kind-heartedness as well as for those who are living with the disease.”
Paul has already raised more than £2 million for charity for which he received his OBE in April 2016, including tens of thousands for Brain Tumour Research. With training well underway, he is hoping to secure a sponsor for food and accommodation for his support team of six people, ahead of his challenge which will begin on 28th August.
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Paul’s fundraiser, please visit: www.justgiving.com/page/paul-smith-1697221189554
If you are interested in sponsoring the logistics of Paul’s challenge, please email Amy Meredith: avmeredith@gmail.com or Suzanne Bamborough: Suzanne.bamborough@gmail.com
Related reading: