The Commitment:

On the 17th and 18th of June, a group of Christie and UCLH riders will depart from the site of the Christie PBT Centre in South Manchester and cycle to the UCLH PBT centre in Central London over two days - a distance of some 200 miles.

All of the riders from each site are staff, contractors or other stakeholders in the NHS national Proton Beam Therapy Programme, which will make an advanced form of radiotherapy available to patients within the UK for the first time.

The Christie Programme does not end there, however. As part of the Trust and University of Manchester commitment to cutting-edge research into high energy protons and their clinical and scientific applications, The Christie Charity has agreed to fund a "research room" at the Proton Therapy Centre in Manchester, which will provide a unique space to carry out experiments using the cyclotron and proton beam.

The Fortitude:

For my part - I am a graduate of the University of Manchester and Project Manager for the Technical and Scientific service design for Proton Therapy, so I have the great fortune to work alongside the clinical, technical and research team every day. Some of them will be on my wheel every mile of the way.

Without your support, the scientific work that backs up every patient treatment wouldn't be possible, and a little of my blood and pain is surely worth expending on a noble cause. Please support the research room project - it will make a difference.

The Faith:

....The Emperor of All Maladies can be beaten.