West Country firefighters to embark on three-day bike ride to Paris for charity
The ride has been inspired by a local mum, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 36 years old
A team of West Country firefighters are heading off on a gruelling bike ride to Paris, all in aid of Cancer Research UK.
They have to do it in just three days - or else they won't have time to get back to work.
The ride has been inspired by a mum from Bath, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of just 36.
Since Jessica Parson's diagnosis, she set up an Instagram page, documenting her journey battling the disease - something she has called 'a land full of ups and downs'.
Jess was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer whilst she was on maternity leave in 2022, when her daughter was just 6 months old.
Since then, she has had six rounds of chemotherapy, a mastectomy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy - and is now receiving targeted therapy.
She's also back at work, calling it 'amazing' that she's now able to balance the trauma of treatment with being able to return to a form of normality.
At the start of her journey, Jess set up the page 'Life, Lemons and My Melons' to raise more awareness about the disease.
She told us: "I get messages on a regular basis from people, who've maybe had a cancer scare, and they're looking for advice. Someone said to me recently that she had found a lump, and wanted to know what I found; people come to me when they've been to the hospital for checks; and others reach out when they've just been diagnosed.
"There's a huge amount of people who share their own experiences, and I'm really happy for people to take the time to message me - it's a really rewarding thing, and I'm proud that my small contribution has really helped people.
"My message - if you check yourself regularly, then you'll be able to work out what might feel different. It's really important to find out what is normal for you."
During this journey, Jess' husband, who is a firefighter, has been joined by the team in Bath to raise money for vital cancer research.
They did a half-marathon back in 2022 in their fire kits - and now, they're stepping-up the challenge by cycling all the way to Paris in time for their next shift in just four days' time.
Matt told us: "Whilst Jess has been going through this awful disease, it felt at times a little helpless on my side. We're all sporty and competitive, so we at the fire station wanted to do something challenging - and because Jess is half-French, we just decided to take the trip to Paris!
"We only get four days off between our shifts - so it's going to be a challenge! We're pretty confident, though. It'll be hard, but when times get hard, you have just to think about why you're doing it - and just crack on with it.
"All we need to do is keep on top of our food and our fluids!"
"At the station, we're like a true family - we eat together, sleep together, chat together - and that's really important."
Matt revealed it has been a tough time supporting Jess through her breast cancer journey.
He said: "It's been tiring, it's been hard - but Jess really has done the hardest bit. Hopefully after her chemo, cancer won't be a part of our lives any more.
"Jess has been so strong, and we have two young kids that have really helped. They make you forget about it all, really."
They launch their challenge at 9.15 this morning before heading to Paris.
Here's the plan:
Day 1, 14th September: We will be leaving Bath fire station at 10am, cycling a rather hilly 95 miles (153km) to Portsmouth Harbour for a 10pm ferry to Caen.
Day 2, 15th September: Caen to Evreux, approximately 85 miles (137km).
Day 3, 16th September: Evreux to Paris, our last day is our shortest day at 70 miles (113km), and finishing off on the Champs Elysse.
The 10 riders are Matt Parsons, Kit Chapman, Rich Wheeler, Ian Manfield, Ben Parsons, Alex Gapper, Alex Werren, Liam Higgs, Pete Showering, and Jon Holmes.
You can find out more about the campaign, and donate to their fundraising efforts, on the Cancer Research website.