WESTON COLLEGE LECTURER RIDES 26 UK MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS IN 26 WEEKS IN MEMORY OF HER COUSIN

A Weston College lecturer is cycling 26 mountain bike trails over 26 weeks in memory of her cousin.

Biological Science Lecturer, Gill Banks and fiancé Dave Cook, aim to raise £2,000 cycling trails from Devon to Scotland in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Gill, 30, of Walford Avenue, said: "My cousin, Sarah Murray, died on July 16th last year. We were very close and I wanted to do something to raise awareness and fund research.

"She was 26 when she died, was engaged and was going to be one of our bridesmaids when we get married in April."

Sarah, of Alloa in Scotland, was two when she was diagnosed. She had a double lung transplant in June 2008 which meant she could enjoy a family holiday with Gill to Florida in 2010.

A year later there were signs of organ rejection that caused her lung capacity to  plummet from 90 to 23 per cent.

Gill said: "Sarah was taken to Newcastle for an assessment for another possible lung transplant but on July 14th we were asked to come and 11 of us were with her.

"She wanted to return to Scotland and a private ambulance took her to Edinburgh and she died an hour later."

Sarah's mother, Margaret, added: 'I am devastated at the loss of my daughter and would be here forever if I tried to put into words what I feel. I hope this fundraiser my niece and her fiancé do helps to prevent another family going through what we have."

If anyone would like to contribute to the charity ride please go to http://www.justgiving.com/Dave-Cook06

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