Tom Smith is a rugby legend.  Sadly Tom died from colon (bowel) cancer in April 2022.  Tom played with distinction for Scotland and the British & Irish Lions, and was described by Sir Ian McGeechan as “the greatest Scottish player of the professional era.” 

Following his diagnosis with colon cancer, Tom became ambassador for 40tude.  He wanted to not just raise awareness but to help find a cure for colon cancer.  Colon cancer is the biggest killer of non-smokers in the UK.  It is a cancer which has touched most families.

Prior to his sad death, Tom and Andy Peterson, a long time 40tude supporter, were working on a major ride to raise money for 40tude.

In honour of Tom, Andy rode solo and unsupported between the four compass points of the UK mainland, a distance of 2,230 km, in under seven days in mid-July 2022, braving some of the highest summer temperatures ever recorded.

The donations raised as a result of Andy's epic ride and by many others in memory of Tom have helped us to establish a new, dedicated research fellowship to investigate the genetics of hereditary colon cancer.  In late 2022 Dr. Penelope Edwards became the 'Tom Smith Research Fellow' based at St. Mark's, the national bowel hospital, and is leading this ground-breaking programme, known as 'EPICC' (Early diagnosis & Prevention of Inherited Colorectal Cancer) to help better understand why some people with a family history of colon cancer develop this disease, while others don't.  

Thank you for your support.

40tuder Andy Peterson meets Dr. Penelope Edwards, the new Tom Smith Research Fellow at St. Mark's Hospital

40tude Ambassador, the Scotland and British Lion rugby legend Andy Nicol (on right) visits Dr. Penelope Edwards (left) and Dr. Kevin Monahan (centre) of the Centre for Familial Intestinal Cancer at St. Mark’s to hear more about the Tom Smith Research Fellowship established with the help of 40tude