Brothers reach halfway stage of year of fundraising challenges

Brothers Craig and Paul Hooper reach the half way stage of a year-long fundraising challenge on Saturday 5^th August when they plan to complete an eight hour static cycling event at the Warwickshire Shopping Park in Coventry.

The two men are undertaking ten endurance events to raise money for Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and mark the ten year anniversary of the death of their childhood friend Ryan Lee who died, aged 23, when his van was involved in a collision on the M69 in 2007.

“The air ambulance attended the accident and whilst they weren’t able to save Ryan they did keep him alive long enough for his parents to see him before he died, “says Craig (33) from Wyken, Coventry.

In the past decade he and a group of friends have raised between £20 and £30,000 for the local air ambulance in memory of Ryan.

“The logistics of getting 8 to 10 people together has become increasingly more difficult over the years so to mark the 10^th anniversary my brother and I decided to keep it simple and do something a bit different, just the two of us,” explains Craig.

He and Paul (31), who lives in London, have already run two half marathons, completed a 58 mile off-road cycle and climbed the Yorkshire Three Peaks.

After Saturday’s static cycle the remaining events they are planning include another half marathon and a cycle or run (yet to be decided) from London to Coventry.

“Paul and I are probably the fittest we have been for a while but we are not really athletes and complete the events through determination rather than sporting prowess. Knowing that the local air ambulance receives no government funding and relies on public donations to remain operational is a great incentive for us to keep going says Craig.”

To find out more about the brothers’ fundraising challenge click through to their JustGiving page here.

Picture is of Ryan Lee and Craig Hooper.