Man will cycle 250 miles around the south to raise money for his friend's cancer treatment in Japan

Andy Baker, 35, will be cycling 400km in one day to raise vital funds which will go towards a £50,000 goal for his friend Reece Payne’s life-saving treatment, which is in Japan.

Reece was diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago and has been fighting it with all of his might ever since, enduring multiple surgeries and years of chemotherapy in between, but the treatment that he is receiving on the NHS has stopped working as effectively as it should, and he may only have up to a year to live.

The dad of two young daughters, aged one and three, has been frantically scouring for alternative treatments when he came across adoptive cell therapy which can be found in Japan, and is known to slow or even stop the tumour growing – but in order for him to get there, he needs money.

His old school friend, Andy, is heading back to Hampshire from Edinburgh, where he now lives, to cycle 400km in one day next month.

SEE ALSO: Friends pitch in campaign to raise £50,000 for ex-Portsmouth man needing potentially life-saving cancer treatment in Japan

The challenge, which is set to take place on the weekend of December 3, will start in Petersfield where he will loop up to Brighton in the early hours of the morning, and come back down to Petersfield, through Portsmouth to Stonehenge and then back through Winchester and end up back at the start line.

He has already raised over £2,000 and is hoping to raise over £5,000 for his friend.

Andy said: ‘I have always wanted to do something for charity and then I heard about Reece and thought I have to do something because all he needs is money to potentially save his life and if I can get any amount of money to contribute to him that will be good.

‘He is an amazing man and when I speak to him I forget that he is actually a dying man because he talks about it with so much positivity.’

Andy will do half of the journey along, but his dad and a few friends want to join him on the second half to not only support him, but support Reece too.

Andy’s fundraising page is at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/andy-baker-cycles