Contact Us
Andy Huddlestone, a 29-year-old man from Runcorn in Cheshire, is running 50 miles – almost the same distance as 2 marathons – in a day to raise money for The Christie, the specialist cancer centre in Manchester. He raised nearly £35,000 in his first week of fundraising.
Andy, who owns his owns his own electrical wholesale business, is taking on the gruelling challenge on Friday 8 July 2022 in support of his best friend Brad Farrell, who is being treated for osteosarcoma – a type of bone cancer – at The Christie.
Brad, who is 25 and from Conwy in north Wales, has known Andy for about 5 years. He was diagnosed in March of this year after noticing pain in his knee. The pain got so bad that he was eventually unable to walk. He was given a 10-week course of chemotherapy and will shortly be having surgery.
“Brad actually helped me come up with the idea for the challenge,” said Andy. “He’s more like my brother than my friend, so when he spoke so warmly of the team at The Christie, I knew that I wanted to do something big to give back. I initially set my fundraising target at £5,000, so to raise so much in such a short space of time is just astonishing. It just shows how much Brad and The Christie mean to people.”
Left to right: Brad Farrell and Andy Huddlestone
Brad, who works for his family’s business, is also bowled over by people’s generosity and feels strongly about The Christie and the work it does.
“Everyone I’ve met at The Christie has been amazing at what has been a really difficult time for me,” adds Brad. “They initially thought I might have to have my leg amputated, but thankfully the chemo has shrunk the tumour so much that they’ll be able to operate on it. I wouldn’t want to go through this anywhere else, so to see people giving so much really means a lot to me.”
Josh Hughff, sporting events co-ordinator at The Christie charity, said: “Brad means so much to Andy and we were so inspired when we heard about his mammoth run. The Christie charity provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds and the money that Andy has raised will go directly to help more people like Brad.”
Andy will start running at 3 am and hopes to be finished by 7 pm. His route will take him from Runcorn to Brad’s family home in Conwy. You can follow his progress on social media using #50ForTheChristie.
The Christie has a calendar of sponsored events – from runs and walks to bike rides and skydives. Find out how you can get involved by checking out our events calendar.
The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds. This includes money for care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.