NEWS FEED
A dirty fight against cancer for businessman Matt Mellor
Bournemouth businessman Matt Mellor is to tackle the world’s toughest ‘mudder’ in honour of a friend who died of cancer.
Matt Mellor, director of Active Therapy South, is taking part in the 20-mile Rat Race Dirty Weekend at Burghley in Lincolnshire on 6 May.
The longest obstacle course in the world, competitors tackle 200 physical challenges, from giant hay bale mountains, to death slides and fully submerged cargo nets – getting absolutely filthy in the process.
Father-of-three Matt, from Bournemouth, signed up to the gruelling challenge in honour of his friend Steve Shergold who died of cancer in 2015. And he will be raising money for Dorset Cancer Care Foundation, the charity which helped Steve and his family before he died.
Matt said: “I’d known Steve for 15 years and he was an absolutely amazing guy.
“He was diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was just 30. But despite having surgery and chemotherapy the cancer spread to one of his lungs and later his spine. But he never stopped fighting.”
Steve died aged just 33 leaving a wife Gina and daughter Esmee, 13 months.
Matt continued, “Despite what he and his family went through, Steve managed to fight the cancer with such dignity. The charity Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF) helped Steve and his family during the later stages of his cancer. I wanted to thank DCCF for that help and by taking part in the Rat Race I will be raising money that will go to help another family like Steve’s.”
DCCF was formed in 2012 to assist people with cancer to cope with the financial pressures the disease can bring. The charity gives grants to pay for everything from childcare and counselling to short breaks and household bills.
Matt, a former paramedic in the Royal Air Force is now a qualified Sports Massage Therapist. No stranger to big challenges, he has taken part in the Three Peaks Challenge and a Bournemouth to Brighton charity cycle. He said,“If I can raise £500 I’ll be happy. But I’m going to aim for a target of £1,000. It’s going to be tough and very dirty. But I know Steve would have been the first to encourage me and thinking of him will drive me on to the finish line.”
