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From Budapest to Barnsley – firefighters aim to raise £11,000 for charity

Firefighters will soon be taking on the challenge of cycling through 11 countries in 11 days, hoping to raise £11,000 for two local charities.

Dave Camp, Ryan Frost and Darren Middleton, who are based at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s station in Barnsley, will soon be undertaking this test of endurance to raise funds for Barnsley Hospice and the Yorkshire charity Candlelighters.

Covering a total distance of 1200 miles, the team will begin their ride in Hungary’s capital city Budapest on Monday 14 September.

They will then travel through Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland before finishing the ride back here in the UK 11 days later.

“We’ve seen firsthand the amazing work Barnsley Hospice do caring for people and we wanted to do something to help them,” said crew manager Dave Camp.

“We all live and work in the area so it’s understandable this is a charity very close to our hearts.”

“Candlelighters specifically help children suffering with cancer and offer a vital support network for the parents and families affected.

“After our own experiences of seeing how they both do an incredible job of supporting people, we spoke about how we could help them at work and the idea just evolved.”

The team will be supported by fellow firefighter Andrew Braddock and recent retiree Phil Powell, who will follow the trio in a van through terrain including the Grossglockner – the highest road through the Alps located in Austria.

“We’ve been training quite hard in preparation for riding 120 miles a day, but there’s only so such you can do,” said Dave.

“We’ve done a lot of cycling locally and over the Pennines, but you can’t exactly replicate the mountains of the Alps.”

Vicky Stead, Barnsley Hospice Community Fundraiser said: “Everyone at Barnsley Hospice is amazed by the challenge they are undertaking and thrilled that they have chosen to raise funds for the hospice.

“We wish them all the best for the ride and look forward to following their journey each day. We simply couldn’t continue to provide the care our patient’s need without the support of the community and fundraisers like Dave, Ryan, Darren, Andrew and Phil”.

The team is hoping to raise £11,000 for their efforts and you can sponsor them by clicking the link below.

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This content was last updated on August 24th, 2015