A Radstock man with an incurable brain tumour and strong Christian faith is stepping up a gear with his annual fundraising challenge, as he celebrates the miracle of reaching another birthday. On Thursday, 14th June, Andrew will set out from the pier at Weston-super-Mare and attempt to cycle 250 miles to the pier at Walton-on-the-Naze, in Essex, in around 24 hours.

43 year-old Andrew Stammers, who works as an Evangelist Minister at St Philips and St James in Odd Down, Bath, will be featured in BBC One’s Songs of Praise this Sunday, 3rd June (which is also the date of Andrew’s next birthday) as part of a feature on people living with cancer.

Andrew was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in 2011, after suffering a seizure. Then a Baptist minister in Radstock, Andrew underwent wide-awake surgery to minimise the risks of long-term effects because the tumour was very close to his speech and understanding sensors. He was told that the likelihood was that the tumour would grow back in one to two years.

After six weeks of radiotherapy and annual scans since 2011, Andrew has mercifully survived well beyond the two-year prognosis he was initially given.

Andrew, a father of three young daughters, explains: “Each year, around my birthday, I set myself a motivational challenge to celebrate reaching another year to raise funds and awareness for pioneering national charity, Brain Tumour Research. Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of forty than any other cancer, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

“Moreover, less than twenty per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years, compared with an average of fifty per cent across all cancers.

“To date, my challenges have included a hundred-mile walk from Bath to Hungerford and back and cycling one hundred miles in under eight hours to complete RideLondon.

“This year, I wanted to push myself further and decided to take on this non-stop, no sleep 250-mile Pier to Pier cycle.

“I am grateful to my friend, Dave Atkinson, a semi-pro cyclist and co-owner of Road CC online cycling magazine, who is not only supporting me in organising Pier to Pier, but also is riding with me. Do come along to Weston-super-Mare pier at 8 p.m. on the 14th to wave us off. We will be calling in at Brain Tumour Research’s HQ in Milton Keynes mid-morning on the 15th and hoping to finish at Walton-on-the-Naze pier soon after 8 p.m. the same day.

“Please donate to my fundraising page to help find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours, bringing hope to the thousands of patients diagnosed each year.”

Emma Cronin, Community Fundraising Manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age, at any time. They kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer and more women under 35 than breast cancer.

“We are extremely grateful to Andy for his continued fundraising for our charity and wish him all the best for another successful challenge.

“We hope as many people as possible will support Andy’s endeavour, or even consider holding their own events, helping to spread the word about this terrible disease.”

The money raised will go towards ground-breaking charity, Brain Tumour Research, which funds a network of dedicated Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure.