Tideswell man takes on 82-mile slog for struggling Ashgate Hospice

Ben Brindley said he had to ‘do something’ as the charity predicted losing £2 million due to the coronavirus pandemic and was seeking applications for voluntary redundancy from its 340 staff.

Joiner Ben, whose father-in-law John O’Meara has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, told how the hospice made the pensioner feel ‘amazingly well-cared for’.

He said: “The care and attention to detail they provide is great - this is an essential service which is not paid for by the taxpayer. It’s all self-funded.”

Fell and marathon runner Ben aims to complete three laps of a hilly 917m-elevation route just over 27 miles long in the hills near the village on October 24.

Starting at 2am he will run the first lap then take to his cyclocross bike for the second before finally walking the third and final lap.

Brave Ben - who admits he has been called ‘foolhardy’ by some - estimates he will complete the first lap in five hours, the second in three hours and the third in nine hours - finishing by 7pm.

He said: “There’s a bit of trepidation about what I'm planning as I’ve only given myself about three weeks to train.”

Amazingly Ben, 37, told how at the time of writing he had already raised nearly £600 in just three days since he launched a crowdfunding page.

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