Man to cycle to 40 Skipton Building Society branches, including Scarborough, in memory of 10-year-old niece
Joe Guest, who works for Skipton Building Society, will be taking on a huge fundraising challenge and cycling to 40 of the firm’s branches in five days.
Mr Guest will be cycling from Skipton to Scarborough, Cleveleys to Cleakheaton, meaning he will cover almost 400 miles in total.
This intense physical challenge will raise money for Leukaemia UK, in honour of Mr Guest’s niece who passed away from the condition last year.
Mr Guest said: “In the Summer of 2024 my family suffered the tragic and sudden loss of my beautiful niece, Larissa. She was just 10 years old.
“Having not displayed any prior symptoms, Larissa had contracted an acute form of Leukaemia and within days of falling ill, we had lost her. This was a complete shock and a tragedy that has torn through our family and left so many people heart broken.
“Larissa's favourite saying was "One life, live it". So as we come to terms with her loss, I am determined to do just that, raising money and awareness in the process.
“All money raised will be donated to the charity Leukaemia UK, who believe research has the power to stop leukaemia devastating lives.
“Despite decades of incredible progress, only half of leukaemia patients live longer than five years after their diagnosis. They won't stop until that changes.
“Bringing together the leukaemia community, they aim to accelerate progress through life-changing research, awareness and advocacy doing everything they can to make sure that the next person with leukaemia has the best possible experience of diagnosis, treatment and care.”
On Monday June 23, Mr Guest will be arriving at the Scarborough branch and then will progress along the Yorkshire coast to the Bridlington and Hull branches, before embarking on the next leg of his challenge.
For the Scarborough leg of the challenge, Mr Guest will also be joined by a Skipton Building Society colleague that lives in Scarborough, Chris Wilson.
Mr Guest turned 40 this year and is taking on a number of themed fundraising challenges, including this cycling challenge. He is also attempting to eat 40 doughnuts in one weekend, fasting for 40 hours and spending the day wearing 40 items of clothing.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-larissa-foundation-40challengejoe for more details about Mr Guests’s fundraising efforts or to donate.