On 6^th September 2010, I will be part of a team of 15 former Wales rugby captains, together with current national coach Warren Gatland on an expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a project which aims to raise £1m for the Velindre Cancer Centre’s Stepping Stones Appeal.

 

The Brains SA Captains Climb was launched on 2^nd July at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium with current Welsh captain Ryan Jones, and  his predecessors Scott Gibbs, Paul Thorburn and Scott Quinnell.

 

The initiative is the brainchild of national team sports photographer Huw Evans whose family has recently been affected by lung cancer - the disease for which the Stepping Stones Appeal provides research funding - and he has appointed Ospreys, Wales and Lions No8 Jones as Appeal figurehead, chief whip and fundraiser, although rugby commitments will prevent the player from joining the trip himself. Ryan says: “Each of the fifteen former captains will be competing to raise money for the Appeal, so fans can actually sponsor their favourite captain from recent history and it’s quite a list of former rugby legends.  Choose your favourite Wales captain and he is very probably amongst the list of fifteen former players who are going and, if that’s not enough, how about supporting our Grand Slam coach Warren Gatland?”

 

Climbing Kilimanjaro will be one of my toughest ever challenges. I hope that you are able to support me to help raise as much money as possible for the Stepping Stones Appeal.

 

As Scott Gibbs says “I recently made the ascent and I can honestly say it was the single most exhilarating, emotional and challenging thing I have ever done!  When I heard about the good cause I jumped at the chance to join in and get back up there alongside some of my old rugby friends, but I also want to make sure we breach the targets we have set in terms of money to be raised and I imagine all the other former captains will be similarly competitive.”

 

Dr Jason Lester who heads up the Lung Cancer Research department at Velindre Cancer Centre said “We are raising the profile of an area of research which gets a bad press because people wrongly associate lung cancer with smoking, which isn’t the case, this disease can and does affect people indiscriminately and we hope to achieve the survival rates that other cancers have already attained. It’s an area in need of funding and this initiative is an extremely welcome one and one that will do untold good to The Stepping Stones Appeal.”

 

Colin