DUNDEE LEADS SCOTLAND IN LAUNCHING NEW CANCER RESEARCH CENTRE

On Thursday February 4 Dundee became Scotland’s first link in a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK. The launch of the Dundee Centre coincided with World Cancer Day.

These new cancer centres will draw together world class research and medical expertise to provide the best possible results for cancer patients nationwide.

As the first centre in Scotland, the Dundee Cancer Research UK Centre will help set the pace for national and international progress in bowel, breast and skin cancer. It will build on Dundee’s world class research in the areas of radiotherapy and surgery by focussing on new highly advanced image-guided surgical techniques. The Centre will also lead to the development of an international hub for research into the most serious type of skin cancer (melanoma), making new discoveries in basic cell biology then helping to translate those into new treatments.

Collaboration is the key to the success of the Centre which will enable researchers who do not normally work together to exchange ideas and information more easily. It now brings together researchers and support from University of Dundee, Cancer Research UK and the NHS Tayside.

Professor Irene Leigh, Head of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing and chair of the board of the new centre, said: “This is a very exciting development for cancer research in Scotland. The new centre will help us bring together a variety of researchers and clinicians to collaborate and work together to improve the lives of cancer patients across Scotland. By building closer links between scientists and doctors we want to increase the pace of research, leading to improved treatments for patients."

The Centre aims to be a world leader in developing treatments tailored to individual cancer patients based on understanding the biology of the disease and how that varies among patients.

Cancer Research UK already supports research in Dundee but is set to increase its contribution to over £7.5m a year to help develop the Centre.

Professor Peter Downes, Principal of the University of Dundee, said: "The award of Cancer Centre status is the combination of years of effort building world class basic research into the underlying mechanisms of cancer alongside the clinical research needed to translate new knowledge into improved treatment of disease. It exemplifies our strategy to ensure research has a positive impact on society.”

Edinburgh launched its own centre on the 16th June. The Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Centre will help set the pace for national and international progress in bowel, breast and ovarian cancers. The Centre will build on Edinburgh’s world class research into the genetics and biology of cancer, as well as researching and developing new ways to treat the diseases. Edinburgh becomes the second Centre in Scotland after Dundee launched the first Centre earlier this year.

Scientists at the Centre will also work on tackling the problem of cancer cells spreading (metastases), and developing resistance to drugs, in order to find ways to prevent these common and life-threatening problems.

Collaboration is the key to the success of the Centre which will enable researchers to exchange ideas and information more easily. It brings together researchers and clinicians with support from Cancer Research UK, the University of Edinburgh and the NHS Lothian.

The Centre aims to be a world leader in developing treatments tailored to individual cancer patients based on understanding the biology of the disease and how treatments work, and how these may vary between patients.

Professor David Cameron, professor of Oncology and Head of NHS Lothian Cancer Services, and the Clinical Director of the new Centre, said: “This is a very exciting development for cancer patients and for research in Scotland. The new Centre will help researchers and clinicians to collaborate and work together to improve the lives of cancer patients across Lothian and Scotland. By building closer links between scientists and doctors we want to increase our knowledge about cancer and speed up the pace of research, leading to improved treatments for patients."

Susan Oliver, 58 from Dalkeith, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005 and went into remission after six months of chemotherapy. But when her cancer returned a year later she was given the chance to take part in a new clinical trial at the Edinburgh Western General called PARP 1 inhibitor. Susan took four capsules twice a day while her health was closely monitored with regular trips to hospital for tests.

She said: "I knew it wouldn’t cure my cancer, but the trial has given me two wonderful and healthy years to enjoy and I am so grateful for the opportunity to add to our understanding of cancer and improve the way future patients are treated. The trial might have had serious side effects, or it might have done me no good at all. But it was an opportunity worth taking and I knew that I was in very safe hands here in Edinburgh."

Cancer Research UK already supports research in Edinburgh but is set to increase its contribution to over £5.6million a year to help develop the Centre.

Professor Sir John Savill, Head of the College of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said: "I am delighted that the University of Edinburgh is being joined by our closest partners, NHS Lothian, in this exciting new collaboration with Cancer Research UK. This will ensure that research will feed through into improved cancer care as quickly as possible."

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Huge progress has been made in beating cancer since the charity was formed and we’re determined to carry on. Funding these centres of excellence is one of the charity's priorities and will enable us to work towards the goals we have set to improve the treatment and survival of cancer patients. But we continue to welcome the generous donations we receive from the public to ensure we can continue to build on what we have started today."

Universal Joint Ache

Right, where do we start? What a day... Ok, well maybe it is best I start at the end... dum, dum, dum... We did make it to Braemar – so however bad it sounds, we did make it, alright? You got me? Good! Now back to the beginning ……
We woke up in high spirits, to proper porridge (you add the milk after) and went to the Town Centre. We picked up an RAF Physical Training Instructor called Andy and the senior endurance cyclist David (Both joining us thanks to Colin. Thanks, again Colin). Literally 50 metres into the day a lady called Anna hopped on – it is so lovely that people just decide to drop everything and join us for an adventure into the unknown.
It was after about 3 or 4 miles that the bracket holding up the universal joint started to rattle (I know I sound like Terry Pratchet but this is serious mechanical language). We popped a ratchet on it, used a tin can to cover the sharp edges, and applied actual medical bandages. This kept her steady up some very sharp, very quick 1:5 hills (that is a 20% gradient to you and me) out of the Bridge of Brown; it was at this point that I nearly died, but I saw no white light, no long tunnel, only a pick-up truck with 3 RAF personal who had heard the call for help from Colin and threw their hats into the ring – we were saved!
Expert cyclist David thought it was best to sort out the loose bracket before the whole thing fell apart. He called some welder’s he knew and we headed a few long, clanky miles to Tomatuil where Miss CoBi had the first of the days many ‘once overs’ from Charlie Skeen. Now ‘fixed’ we began heading for the Lecht - Scotland’s highest ski resort. I think everyone felt nervous, David took on the role of Meryl Streep in ‘River Wild’ and talked us through the terrain. My stomach lurched, and so did Ed’s, so we took 2 rolls of loo roll and went for a poo in the woods, I think we are well and truly bonded for life now. If I had lost all but one finger in a freak cycling accident, then I could count on one hand the number of people I have shat in the woods with.
Then we began the climb – this was serious stuff, we were actually taking 200kg of bike up to a ski slope using only our legs and the powers of our mind. Just as we were about the reach the summit, and I am talking only about 10 metres away, the bracket which had been worrying us all day snapped off and the universal chain buckled. We had to get off and push.
This could have been a disaster for the trip. But luckily remote ski slopes need welders, and we found just our man, Nick. He yanked Miss CoBi up with a chain (she likes the kinky stuff) and he grinded her, screwed her and welded her. I began popping Diacalm for my stomach; it was full of morphine and made me feel much more optimistic.
Once we got Miss CoBi on the road she seemed like a new woman. My god she went well, and as we came off the Lecht, no word of a lie, we got her up to 40mph. We thought that was it, the worst over, but for the next three ours we climbed and fell more times than an arthritic monkey. By 4pm we were only just over half-way... Would we make it to Braemar (well you know we did because I told you at the beginning, which was actually the end before the beginning).
At last we came out of the hills and onto what senior cyclist David called the long 9 miles into Braemar. It was long, very long, and it was flat, very flat. David started performing Pete and Dudd sketches, and I sang Monty Python songs. This spurred everyone on to the finish, so we would shut up.
The 2 mile gap between the welcome sign for Breamar and the centre of Breamar demonstrated how the Scots like to take the p**s! We were welcomed by a piper (this is actually true and there are pictures and a video to prove it).
We said goodbye to the RAF guys and girls, and bowed before cycling legend David (Who, it must be remembered, is going to be cycling 400km on Saturday). We then met Stewart and Derek the next day’s riders – sometimes it is as if we have 100’s of Dr Who’s regenerating everyday... One rider turns into another and so on.
We camped in the tourist information centre’s garden. Sometimes you just have to set-up your tent and sleep.

Grantown on Spey-back Time

We woke to the sound of roosting birds and barking dogs. I said farewell to the stuffed gazelle head, and said if he was ever in Brixton he should pop by for an Absinthe. Robbie and Freddie Swift were up and raring to go. They looked a little sleepy, but nothing 10 minutes riding on Miss CoBi couldn’t sort out – she is a cruel mistress.
I had weetabix for the first time in years, which was such a treat, and then one quick peek at what we were told is the ‘best bog in Britain’ (it is an open air latrine overlooking the hills) before we drove down to Inverness.
We met Colin at the station with his 9 year old daughter called Mhary (Pronounced Varry but I kept calling her Barry which was most embarrassing). We rode out on Inverness and started up quite a hard ascent, but it was made all the more interesting by Chris organising the hay baling on his mobile phone, ‘You know where we put the bales yesterday? Yes? Well flipping (Other words may have been used) well put the other ones there today’ (Little Barry... cough... Mahry took it all in her stride). Somehow the power of what my mother calls ‘extraordinarily long legs’ (I’m 5ft 10”) managed to break one of the free-wheels which meant we had lost the power of one pair of legs. This is hopefully a problem that can be fixed when we get to Edinburgh.
We picked up a rugby playing lad called Euan just back from Kenya (He had seen many CoBi bikes grazing in the savannah so he wasn’t too fazed) and he helped us take Miss CoBi up to the Sloch... This was hard to say the least, to say the most it was bloody hard. We then cruised down an old stretch of the A9 and picked up another young guy who went by the rather bizarre name of Richard, which meant we were actually oversubscribed – so Ed and myself could have a wee ½ hour or so rest in the van – but we both pined for the chafing leather of Miss CoBi between our thighs and we soon back on board.
The people of Grantown where great and everyone dug deep into their pockets for the cause. It is so rewarding that after such an effort people really appreciate what we are doing!
We stayed with the wonderful Fay and Allen and the Parkburn Guest House; we thought one of us might have to sleep in the van, but Fay offered us another room for free and an extra special breakfast – it was at this point I kissed her bang on the lips and swung her round in a Highland fling.
We still needed riders for the morning, so we headed to the local RAF activity centre and they put the word out for us, and a 61 year old cycling veteran got in touch and said he wanted to give us a hand as a warm-up for his 400k timed ride on August 7th.
We finished the day with a traditional Scottish curry (not the best choice as you will see tomorrow) and Ed took the traditional late night drive back to wherever he came from to pick-up whatever it was he had forgotten.

Stars of STV

It was sad to leave Invergordon, it was the first place where people were competing to have us pitch the tent in their garden. Willie didn’t rise in the morning (oi oi) but his daughter saw us off (oi oi – no that doesn’t quite work does it!).

The guy we met in the pub the night before, who had promised to join us, didn’t turn up. I suppose that is a lesson learnt – don’t trust people who have had a few drams , ‘oh Yes, I will get up at 5am and ride a seven seater bike to Inverness, no problem, oh aye, lets make it 3am …. Hey let’s go now’.

We went past a nudist colony ; lots of beautiful creatures laid out on the rocks by the oil rigs covered in blubber – I have never seen so many seals. It was the perfect place to have our bacon sarnies. I put on my pinnie ; a woman’s work is never done ; so I did it instead.

We crossed the Cromarty bridge and then begun the steep, steady climb up, up, up, up, up, up and up some more. It was very hard work, but at the summit we got a glorious reward – a couple of loaves of Bread from Harry Gowe who was parked in the layby, what more could we ask for? (Well as it happens a bread knife would have helped, but hey hoe).

We accidentally got onto a dual carriageway, like you do, but don’t worry , a shout out from Moray Firth Radio had everyone honking their horns (oi, oi – OK boring now).

The ride down into Inverness was quite hairy, like a big brown bear, but Scottish TV filmed us just before we crossed the Inverness Bridge which was great, because it went out on the evening news and has been a real boost

We arrived in Inverness before midday which was a great effort, and meant we had lots of time to play the casino’s , take a Sauna and have a Scottish Cholonic (using haggis instead of water).

We pitched ourselves by the shopping centre, but ‘Action for Kids’ dobbed us into security because we might hurt someone (actually I think they were annoyed we were making more money than them – is that cynical of me?).

At the end of the day we had to say goodbye to Mark and Lee – they were such great company and brilliant support, we couldn’t have done it without them.

I have started feeling like a charity prostitute, picking people up when and wherever we can. We found a guy called Colin outside a bycycle shop and he said he would help us get from Inverness to Grantown on Spey , thank the Lord.

Then we twisted and turned into the hills where we found Chris Swifts farm – about 20 dogs greeted us, and Chris’s two sons who were going to help us ride the following day. We were led to the barn- full of mounted deer heads and stuffed things- that was to be our sleeping quarters- personally I always sleep better surrounded by dead things.

We all had a shower(together) and watched a bit of top gear(together) and then ate the most magnificent dinner made by Susan Swift.

We went to bed up in the eves of the barn and pretended we were in the Waltons, it had to be done …… anyway, godnight Jim Bob, night Dick , night Fanny Ray, night , night ….

Day Two: We're the in thing in Invergordon

Hey CoBi fans, we're currently in Invergordon, 23 miles from Inverness and about 104 miles from John O'Groats. We've had an awesome day today, helped by university challenge winner Harold, 16 year old Lee and long distance cyclist Mark. We were also joined by John, who incredibly has just finished Land's End to John O'Groats on his own (after his friend broke his arm within four miles of the start) in 11 days. As we left Helmsdale I was worried that our second night under canvas had taken it's toll as we struggled up the small but steep hill out of the harbour. However at the top of the hill, when I realised I'd left the brake on, our slower progress made sense. Boosted by the news that we hadn't completely lost our powers in Helmsdale we cracked on at a fair pace and before long we were at Dunrobin Castle, where the manager Keith kindly sat us by the fire and offered us tea, coffee and biscuits. He'd just got back from cycling in Tibet and Nepal to Everest base camp aged 61 so we believed him when he said he'd be on the bike down the A9 if he didn't have to work.

At our lunch stop John stopped by and offered to help, despite having just done LEJOG the other way himself. Two farmer's boys in Wick had told him they'd seen us go past and he cycled all the way from there to give us a hand.

Our next stop was the Glenmorangie Distillery, where looks of panic crossed the faces of several tourists leaving the vistors centre, as they feared they'd misjudged the strength of the whisky they'd just tasted. Very kindly, the Distillery let us photgraph Miss CoBi next to the giant vats inside and gave us a bottle of single malt that we'll auction off at the end of the trip.

Last few miles to Invergordon were hard because bums were sore and the road was flat and unexciting. Made it into town just in time to give a ride to Rob Maclean of BBC's Sports Scene in Scotland. We're incredibly lucky to be staying with Willie, who has given us tent, table and toilet space. Thanks to him and all our other incredibly generous supporters today, we couldn't have done it without you.

Day 1 blog will follow as soon as internet starts working on the computer again.

Thank































we struggled up the hill out of the harrb ou

Are you sitting comfortably (we’re not)? Then we’ll begin…

After I had said a long, lingering goodbye to the cat, we set-off for Inverness, where we were to meet Ed’s parents. We made a frantic ‘Challenge Anneka’ dash around the town looking for free food and charity shop kitchen ware (The sort of challenge we all wish Anneka had attempted, she was so lazy, she never stretched herself, what a waste).

We made our final journey to the end of the world; it was a bit like the last supper, but with Juice Doctor instead of wine; very moving anyway.

John O’Groats acted like it had never seen a bike before – OK Miss Cobi, is bright purple, she has seven saddles and looks like a fair ground ride but she isn’t a freak ….. Alright, you got me, she is a freak.

We pitched our tents in the midnight (10pm) sun and met some of the locals – they were very excited that Charlie Boy (that is Prince Charles to you and me) was staying at his Mum’s house that week.

At 5am we rose again and took the CoBi down to the start line for the start funnily enough. The famous sign was missing, presumed stolen, but actually it turns out you have to hire it… capitalism hey? Don’t worry, Ed is going to photoshop it in, along with a unicorn and Ali Baba.

The local seals put on an opening ceremony to rival the Beijing Olympic Games and then at about 6.45am with began. There were 5 of us on the bike, including two Aussie lads we had kidnapped in Helmsdale the day before, using chlorophyl and some chest harnesses.

It was a crisp morning, and without sounding twee, freaking beautiful. Suddenly the GPS told us some great news, we had done our first mile – you would have thought we had actually discovered the cure for cancer, that is how excited we were, but it was the watershed – we will do this.

2 miles in the excitement turned to hysteria, as some Miss Trunchbull lookalike appeared from her house looking puzzled, she jumped the fence and looked at us ‘Oh’ she exclaimed, ‘it’s a cluster f**k’- only later after scaling a hill so steep it has it’s own name, did I realise that it indeed was a cluster f**k , and my clusters were well and truly f**ked at that.

We passed two horses standing in the field and a lady standing in the doorway. “The horses think you’re mad” she shouted, which was a pretty damning statement given it was coming from a woman who talked to horses.

We needed some fresh legs, but luckily came across two 15 year olds girls staggering home after a night out …. They climbed aboard and gave their best effort for 7 miles, before they had to get off to be sick... but would you have got the same spirit in London? I fear if we had asked some drunk girls to help us on the bike, we would have ended up either dead or in court.

We lost out Aussies in Wick, and then there were 4 of us ….. the next 10 miles or so were pure hell, tripled distilled and 100% proof. The car honks, photographs, smiles and donations kept us going. We were also lucky enough to stop off just outside the house of Wendy and David, who offered us plenty of biscuits, toilet facilities and tea. Then a miracle happened – round the corner I spotted 3 young guys riding along wearing pink bra’s and I thought, they were the perfect additions to our team …. We bribed them with some La Senza lingerie and they hopped on. Thank God they did, because we encountered 3 beasts …. One hill was hard but fast, the other was slow but light, the last and worst was put on earth to test all men (not women; there is a little lane in Brighton which was put on earth to test woman).

But by jove we did it – even though we let a first-time driver take us down a 13% incline at 36mph , causing the breaks to catch fire. … we arrived in Helmsdale, 55 miles and 10 ½ hrs later …. Nah,nah,nah,nah,nah,nah,nah,nah!

CoBi at the Castle

We headed to Edinburgh in the early morn and found it incredibly difficult to park, so we had to venture into the valley ( not really thinking about how we would get the bike up to the castle).

Ed, Ian, Miss CoBi and I had a practice run ( you would have thought we might have tried the bike before setting off for a month long endurance ride) and then turned onto our first hill up to Princess Street (just the three of us!). We appealed to random passers by for pedal power, and some lovely old guy named Ronnie/Ernie(we’re not sure) hopped on and stayed with us for 3 hours. I needed a pee, and so ran into the Co-op, in which time a sweet old lady had donated £5 to our cause (spend a penny make a few pounds, that’s my motto, do you think it will catch on?).

I have never steered a vehicle on public roads, and I have no knowledge of the Highway Code, so what better time to start than on the main road through Edinburgh? I only cut-up one or two buses before Ed took over and crashed into a bollard (OK it might have been me who crashed into a pollard).

The good people at Beefeater offered us free lamb, chicken and steak, which was really nice (NO, NOT AS GOOD AS PIPER’S FARM, ED) and then we climbed up the the Royal Mile. The cobbles played havoc with our cobblers, and I decided this probably wasn’t the best day to wear jeans.

The castle was beautiful and we took some beautiful shots – everyone was so interested and supportive and suddenly the pounds started rolling in which was a nice surprise (drinks on me – JOKE).

The lovely Lewis, the self-proclaimed king of Scotland helped pedal for a while, singing his song, kilt a-flapping (we didn’t look); some lovely American girls came along for a bit and then invited us out clubbing in town – tree, barking, wrong, up? We were given $3 by a minted Indonesian business man, who treated us as his personal tour guides for half an hour. Ed tried his Thai out on an unsuspecting Thai family, and we learnt Ian is a really good cyclist (knowledge I am sure he wished we did not possess).

The Critical Mass group saw us, hunted us down, and insisted they escort us through the streets back to our van, sticking two fingers up to all motorsied vehicles – 2 wheel good, four wheels bad (unless you are a CoBi bike).

It was brilliant to be in Edinburgh; we were photographed more than Lady Gaga, generated more interest than RBS, and finally realised we might actually be able to do this (although everyone keeps warning us, the climbs will be longer, steeper and much harder).

After a great day, we drove to Dundee to stay with The Baldwins, where I met a gorgeous maincoon cat named Rocky (that is the most interesting bit so far, yes?). After supper Ed delivered the most profound statement, ‘we can flatten the hills with our minds’ …. The room went silent, then everyone laughed.

We still need volunteers for the Scottish legs, please email info@cobiuk.com if you can help. We are fully prepared for wild camping but if you can offer us food or shelter please phone our project manager Sophie on 07958527107.

Please check back soon for more travel reports and updates.

Jack, Ed, Ian and Miss CoBi