CYCLIST Pete Hatt will join a man who saved the life of his stepson on a charity cycle ride to raise money for research into a cure for leukaemia.

Mr Hatt, 48, from Potterne, near Devizes, and Adam Gardner, 42, who gave his bone marrow to save Daniel Bailey, now 29, are taking part in a 140k velathon on June 15.

Mr Hatt said: “My stepson Daniel was first diagnosed aged two and a half. He relapsed again when he was nine and then again at 14. His only hope was an unrelated bone marrow transplant and a match was found in Wales.

"Fortunately, this proved to be a perfect match and the transplant was a complete success and Daniel now lives a healthy life as a chef in London.

"Last year my wife Debbie and I traced Daniel’s donor, who was still living in Rhondda, South Wales, and met up with his lovely family. We are all now firm friends."

The two men found they shared a love of cycling and so the idea of taking part in the ride from Cardiff out to the Brecon Beacons and back to the Welsh capital seemed like an ideal challenge.

Money raised will go to the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Mr Hatt said: "If it wasn't for Adam, my stepson wouldn't be alive today. Without the wonderful and incredible work the charity carries out, this transplant would not have been possible."

Mr Hatt is a member of Devizes Town Cycling Club and covers anything between 150 and 250 miles a week in training.

He said: "I am not worried about the mountains in Wales. I have been doing a lot of hill work and in July I am going with the club to watch the Tour de France in the Alps and then do some of the course. This ride is all about doing something with Adam and raising money for the charity.

"Meeting Adam was emotional for me but even more so for Debbie. We had wanted to try and trace him for some time. Meeting him was incredible and doing this together is really special."

Mr Hatt said he originally had a fundraising target of £500 but it has already reached £1,300 thanks to donations from business contacts from his pest control firm and from the Devizes branch of the Freemasons.

Matt Lawley, head of sports events at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: "We are constantly inspired by the stories of those fundraising for us and the dedication of our supporters like Pete and Adam. Blood cancers are the third biggest cancer killer and every penny raised for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research will help us in our mission – stopping people from dying and making patients’ lives better."

To support him go to https://www.justgiving.com/Peter-Hatt1