Charitable pirates will be storming the Isle of Wight to dig gold out of Islanders’ pockets – to help fund the fight against brain tumours.
Ten Surrey friends will be touring the Island’s inns and eateries on the weekend of 21st-22nd October dressed as pirates to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research, each one also donating to the cause.
Steve Usher, a bus driver from Farnham-turned pirate captain, explained,
“Ten years ago, one of our group was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had to wear a post-op eyepatch as his vision was badly affected and became shy about going out.
“We weren’t going to let him wallow for long and told him not to lose his sense of tumour. To get him over it, we press-ganged him to the Isle of Wight for a fancy dress pirate weekend, seafarer’s logic leading us to believe he wouldn’t stand out if we were all wearing eyepatches.
“Since then, we’ve returned every year in full pirate regalia and lots of people come out to see us.”
He added,
“Each trip has become a celebration of our shipmate’s ongoing recovery; he is still a long way from Davy Jones’s locker and alive and kicking in our hometown. We urge Islanders to join in our unique blend of outdoor drinking and cussing and are happy to pose for pictures in return.”
The group’s adventure will see them set sail from Portsmouth and pass through Ryde and Shanklin, where they will indulge their love of golf on the 18-hole Pirate’s Cove Crazy Golf, onto Newport, where they will stay overnight.
They will start their second day with a full breakfast at Wetherspoons, in Newport, before catching the bus to Godshill to raid the bars on the main street.
Cutlasses and daggers at the ready, they will then swing into the carvery at The Griffin and take the bus back to Ryde Wetherspoons ready to embark on a ferry to the mainland.
Steve said,
“We recognise how fortunate we are to still have our friend with us a decade after his shock brain tumour diagnosis and know there are many others who do not survive as long. The only way this will change is by investing more money in research, which is why we’re so keen to support Brain Tumour Research.”
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said,
“Brain tumours are indiscriminate, affecting anyone at any time. They kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
“We’re determined to change this but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. We’re really grateful to Steve and his friends for their support and wish them lots of fun on their pirate weekend. Long may they continue.”
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.
The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
Show your support
To support Steve’s fundraising, visit his JustGiving Page.
News shared by Laura on behalf of Brain Tumour Research. Ed
