Fundraisers take on huge cycling challenge for Burgess Hill woman with ten brain tumours

Team WellerFest’s next adventure involves cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, climbing Mount Snowdon and ziplining Velocity 2, the fastest zip line in the world.

It forms part of a year-long series of fundraisers for Brain Tumour Research and ALK Positive UK after personal trainer Jenny Weller received a terminal cancer diagnosis at the age of 35.

Read about Jenny’s previous fundraising achievements here

Jenny’s health has deteriorated recently but she still wants to help the group by completing 10-15 miles per day on her e-bike and by climbing Snowdon.

“I will absolutely do whatever I’m capable of,” said Jenny.

“Climbing Snowdon is one of those things I said I must do when I was diagnosed and I didn’t really think at the time I wouldn’t be able to do it,” she said.

“It’s been a real eye-opener the past couple of months – there have been some days I’ve really struggled to walk 10 minutes,” said Jenny.

In September 2020, a few days after having a seizure at home, Jenny was diagnosed with a primary tumour in her lung and five secondary tumours in her brain, as well as others in her neck and pelvis.

She underwent a craniotomy to remove the largest of her brain tumours and used targeted drug therapy to slow the growth of the others.

In September 2021 Jenny underwent a three-week course of radiotherapy but in December doctors discovered she had developed nine more brain tumours.

WellerFest’s first event in September 2021 marked a year since Jenny’s initial diagnosis and involved members abseiling down Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower.

Each of the group’s latest three challenges – cycling, climbing and ziplining – will involve different participants.

The cyclists, including Andy Jackson, whose wife Loz is part of the support crew, and Jenny’s step-son Paul, will be setting off on March 30.

They will be joined by others along the way and plan to celebrate reaching the halfway point with the group’s mountaineers in Snowdonia six days later, ahead of the Velocity 2 challenge on April 5.

“Everyone’s brought their own skills to this and done an absolutely sterling job organising it,” said Jenny, adding that ‘sizeable donations’ have come from Bespoke Ventilation, CLP Air Group, Halfords, Helios, HMA Ventilation, Meiko and Waitrose.

March is Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer but just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this disease.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re really grateful for the support of Jen and Team WellerFest whose extraordinary fundraising efforts have already raised more than £13,000 towards vital research into brain tumours.”

To make a donation visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wellerfestjoglebtr or www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wellerfestsnowdonbtr.

To sign up for the group’s challenges visit www.wellerfest.com.