Best foot forward to raise funds for rare disease research

Our Managing Director, Chris Winchester, walked 115 km along the Ridgeway this weekend to raise money for rare disease research. He and schoolfriend Justin Brooker set off from Princes Risborough at 7:30 on Saturday morning, and arrived in Avebury 60 hours later bruised and battered but happy. Thanks to the incredible generosity of colleagues, friends and family, the pair has raised over £1700 for the Answers for aHUS (atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome) campaign. A donation of £1000 from Oxford PharmaGenesis will take the total to over £2700 (and counting).

“At Oxford PharmaGenesis, we have seen how charities and patient groups, working together with clinicians, researchers and the biopharmaceutical industry, can transform the lives of patients with rare diseases,” says Chris. “aHUS is a disease close to my heart, as it recently claimed the life of a young relative of mine. An effective treatment is now available on the National Health Service, but much remains to be learned about this rare, life-threatening disease. We are proud to support Kidney Research UK’s Answers for aHUS campaign this year to raise funds for vital research.”

Thirty-three hours of walking took its toll on Justin and Chris’s feet, so a warm welcome in Avebury from family members was much appreciated, as was the hospitality of the Coachmakers Arms in Wallingford and the Fox and Hounds in Uffington. The generosity of Patrick, a walker who topped up their water bottles on a long, dry stretch of the Ridgeway above Wantage, Andy, a friend who picked up unneeded kit on the final day, and cousin Angela, who put them up for the night before they started, was also very welcome.

To find out more, you can read the story on the Newbury Weekly News website at http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/16212/Newbury-man-puts-on-walking-buts.html.

To help Chris and Justin raise money for the Answers for aHUS campaign, please visit their fundraising page at http://www.justgiving.com/Chris-Winchester.