'It's heartbreaking': Extraordinary Copnor man to complete 321 mile hand cycle for Brain Tumour Research

Paul Smith OBE has raised more than £2,350,000 for charity over the past five decades - and he is currently taking on his last challenge of hand-cycling from Mount Snowdon to Portsmouth. The 65-year-old was injured in a road traffic accident which causes his brain to frequently stops sending signals to his legs.

He also sustained injuries to his shoulders, chest and hip, and now lives with constant migraine pressure, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression - but this has not stopped him from helping others.

The 321 mile journey is not the first gruelling fundraiser Paul has undertaken for Brain Tumour Research; in 2021 he completed an extraordinary part wheelchair, part crawl ascent of Yr Wyddfa after losing his grandmother to the disease. Alongside his grandmother, the hand-cycle will be taken in memory of two friends who died of brain cancer, Theresa, who Paul describes as ‘a special lady’, and Jenny Weller.

After initially assigning early symptoms of headaches and nausea down to COVID-19, Jenny suffered a seizure at home and was diagnosed with five brain tumours in August 2020. Paul met Jenny as she abseiled down Spinnaker Tower 2021, one of seven fundraisers she would tackle for Brain Tumour Research before her death in May 2022 at the age of 37.

Paul said: “We hit it off straight away. She was one of the people you only had to meet once and never forget. She was a huge inspiration for me, and I was to her.

“To take on what she did, with multiple brain tumours was outstanding, and very humbling.”

Paul has been training for over a year to complete the upcoming challenge which will see him traverse mountainous terrain over five days, starting on August 29. The inspirational man will arrive back in Portsmouth on September 2, which will mark exactly 33 years, to the day, since his accident.

Paul said: “There is always something positive to come out of adversity, and I always feel there are so many people that are worse off than me.

“Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer. This challenge is for them and their families.

“We hit it off straight away. She was one of the people you only had to meet once and never forget. She was a huge inspiration for me, and I was to her.

“To take on what she did, with multiple brain tumours was outstanding, and very humbling.”

Paul said that, although he will never stop fundraising, this is likely to be his last big challenge - and he is hoping to raise £50,000 which will fund research.

Paul added: “I feel like fundraising is the reason I’m still here; I’m meant to do this. I started when I was seven years old, and other than the 12 years I had lock-in syndrome after the accident, I haven’t stopped.

“I’m hoping to raise £50,000 and make a real difference. The fact that there are on average 16,000 new brain tumour diagnoses every year hammers home the fight Brain Tumour Research has to find that cure.

“It’s heartbreaking how the disease snatches so many, especially young adults and children, away from their families. To start the challenge, I will be laying flowers at the base of Snowdon in memory of my grandmother, Theresa and Jenny, and in honour of everyone else who has been affected by the devastating disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Paul is an extraordinary person and a true inspiration to us all. We are honoured that he has decided to support us with his last major fundraising challenge and wish him well on this ambitious ride.

“It is sadly not uncommon to lose multiple loved ones to the disease. One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour, yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. Only by fundraising support like Paul’s can we fight back against the disease.”

For more information about Brain Tumour Research, click here.

To donate to Paul’s fundraiser, click here.