SUFFOLK: An Ipswich teacher diagnosed with cancer is urging people to go that extra mile and sign up for St Elizabeth Hospice’s fundraising cycle ride.

Stephen Dunnett was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma three years ago and underwent treatment at Ipswich Hospital.

He is currently in remission, and he says his experience has made him more aware of the specialist services the hospice offers patients who have an illness from which they are unable to recover.

The 52-year-old, who is head of maths at Thurleston High School and a keen cyclist, has decided to register for On Your Bike! to help raise funds for the charity. Registration is now open for the event, which takes place on September 12, and he is urging other cyclists to take part.

Starting and finishing at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook, there are three routes, each one weaving through the Suffolk countryside: The Constable Country 50 – a 50-mile circular challenge taking in Boxford, East Bergholt and the Lavenham; The Peninsula Pedal 5.5 mile – a fun ride for cyclists of all ages and abilities round the Shotley Peninsula; and the Peninsula Pedal 11.5 mile – for those who want a longer route around the Shotley Peninsula.

Mr Dunnett, who lives in Occold, near Eye, and is a member of Diss Cycling Club, will take part in the 50-mile ride with his wife Kate, a teacher at Whitehouse Infants School, in Ipswich.

He said: “I am in remission now and I hope to get the all clear. Until you get cancer you do not realise the levels of support out there.

“It is a comfort to know that the hospice is there for patients and their families, should they need it.”

All cyclists who take part are asked to raise sponsorship.

Last year Mr Dunnett and his family completed a cycling relay from Lands End to John O’Groats, raising �3,500 which was split between the Somersham Ward Support Group, the hospital’s Cancer Information Centre and St Elizabeth Hospice.

To register for On Your Bike!download a form at www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk, e-mail fundraising@stelizabethhospice.org.uk or call 01473 723600.

n Are you raising money for a good cause? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk