Tom Smith is a rugby legend. Sadly Tom died from colon 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.”
Tom was also an ambassador for 40tude, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and funds to cure colon cancer.
Finding a cure matters as colon cancer is the biggest killer of non-smokers in the UK. It is a cancer which has touched most families in the UK.
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, starting on July 16th, Andy will be riding solo and supported between the 4 compass points of the UK mainland, a distance of 2,500 km, in just 7 days. Andy will be spending 15 hours a day in the saddle, a tough challenge for anyone never mind a 55 year old, 90kg+ father of four.
The 4 compass points are Lizard Point (south), Lowestoft (east), Dunnet Head (north) and Ardnamurchan Point (west). Andy’s dad came from Ardnamurchan Point and died of colon cancer. This was the inspiration for the route.
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40tude - raising awareness of colon cancer and helping to find a cure
"Both Tom and my dad were diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer," explains Andy. "They both had the symptoms but were either unaware of them or ignored them. We need to make everyone aware of the symptoms as this cancer is very treatable if diagnosed early.”
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS AND GET YOURSELF CHECKED Find out more about the symptoms of colon (bowel) cancer here
Tom wanted to not just raise awareness but to help find a cure for colon cancer. Hence the money raised on this ride will fund a dedicated research fellow who will research the genetics of hereditary colon cancer. The research fellow will be based at St. Mark's Hospital, the global leader in research into colon cancer. 40tude has been partnering with St. Mark's since the foundation of the charity and together St. Mark's and 40tude have funded and pioneered several breakthroughs in the treatment of colon cancer and the early identification of colon cancer.
All donations - large and small - made to 40tude in connection with the Tom Smith 4 Points Ride will help reach the target of £100,000 needed to establish the Tom Smith Research Fellowship Read more
Are you aware of the symptoms of colon cancer? Have you been screened? Find out all you need to know about this preventable disease: early diagnosis can save lives Read more
You can track Andy’s ride on an interactive route map. Andy would love people to join him on the ride. Just check where he is and join him if you can Read more
Keep checking 40tude's social channels for live updates on how Andy is getting on, and where you can find him #TomSmithRide Read more