On the 29th of July, Darryl Claypole, Fellow of the IOC and Managing Director of City Couriers Direct, completed a herculean month-long challenge for charity.
Throughout the month of July, the 70-year-old had been undertaking a virtual cycle the length of Britain, completing 872 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End, based in Chesterfield’s Nuffield Health gym. With a target of £5,000 to be raised for charity, Darryl’s great achievement had garnered support from across the midlands, featuring on radio in Sheffield and Nottingham. Across the month, Darryl exceeded his target of £5,000, raising an impressive £7,556 for charity!
The benefactor of this monumental effort was Brain Tumour Research, a charity dedicated to supporting those with brain tumours and to researching a cure. Brain tumours kill more under 40s than any other cancer, and less than 20% of the 16,000 people diagnosed every year survive longer than 5 years. Despite this, just 1% of national spend on cancer research is allocated to the research of brain tumours.
For Darryl, this struck close to home. In August 2021, his 39-year-old son Tom was diagnosed with a Grade 4 Glioblastoma Brain Tumour, one of the most severe. Over the last year, Tom has undergone radiotherapy and chemotherapy and continues to receive treatment. Despite these hardships, Darryl, his family, and his friends have been diligently committed to raising awareness of brain tumours and efforts to find a cure.
Throughout the challenge, Darryl has received support from the staff at City Couriers Direct, who all joined him for various legs of his journey. On top of the challenge itself, City Couriers Direct held multiple events to support the fundraising, including charity nights at Owlerton Stadium and Uttoxeter Racecourse.
In addition, Carlton Town FC have designed an away kit that incorporates strong support for Brain Tumour Research, with a large portion of kit sales going towards the charity. Darryl also joined a pre-match charity walk hosted by Merthyr Town FC, who also wore Brain Tumour Research shirts during their warmups in a friendly between the previously mentioned clubs. This endeavour has raised more than £1,000!
City Couriers Direct have also offered charity support to Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice. Currently planning to engage in a Christmas tree collection after Christmas, City Couriers Direct are looking to expand upon their charitable events and their newfound experience in charity collection. Darryl’s incredible feat will not be the last, however. His wife, Sylvia, will be undertaking a wing-walk on the 27th of August, and September will host the Ben Nevis challenge. Beyond these, there are many more challenges being planned for the future!
