Arundel’s Tim set to tackle ride after fighting illness

Entrepreneur Tim Breden will be joining the Chestnut Sussex 100 cycle ride next month in aid of Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice.

The 52-year-old’s illness fight started when he began experiencing problems with his ankle. He had what he thought would be a routine arthroscopy to remove a spur of bone.

However, the joint didn’t repair properly and he developed a staphylococcal infection.

Tim, who is a patron at the Poling-based hospice, had two operations to attempt to clean out the joint and then the infection spread, resulting in his immune system becoming almost non-existent.

It took 18 months for him to rally back from what could have been a life-changing illness. And it has been a long road to recovery for Tim.

But now he is bracing himself for his latest challenge to prove he has beaten his illness once and for all. “I was spurred on by some friends who around a year ago suggested that we cycle the South Downs Way,” said Tim. “At the time, I thought I would be better but my friends recently did the challenge and I couldn’t join them. A mixture of disappointment and embarrassment, as it’s the first time I haven’t done something I said I would do, led to me seeking a new challenge and one I could firmly commit to. The Chestnut Tree House cycle ride came along at the perfect time.”

The ride takes place on October 12, starting from Bentley Motor and Wildfowl Museum near Uckfield, and has two routes taking in the East Sussex countryside – a 60k and more challenging 100k that includes gruelling Kidds Hill.

Tim will be tackling the route with a team of friends, family and colleagues he has called Tim and Friends – or TAF for short. So far, he has 11 members but he is keen for more people to join.

During his ten years as a hospice patron, Tim has tackled plenty of challenges from abseiling Arundel Castle to running the Littlehampton 10k.

Tim said, “The more I understand about the people who come to the House and the care they receive, the more I can see that it is as much about the family as the sick child. The respite care they receive from Chestnut Tree House is such a wonderful time for them and gives them a chance to be a family, to do what they need to do and spend precious time together.

To sponsor Tim or join TAF, email [email protected] Event entry is £35 and registration closes on Monday (September 29).

To join see www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/sussex100