A HUSBAND and wife from Langstone have turned personal loss into a mission to raise £50,000 for charity through extreme expeditions and endurance tasks.

Both David and Claire Thompson ‘s fathers have been affected by cancer. Sadly, Mr Thompson’s dad lost his battle in 2010, inspiring him to fundraise for charity. Then, when Mrs Thompson’s dad was diagnosed in 2012, she decided she wanted to raise money too as her dad is being cared for by a specialist Macmillan nurse based in the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

They have set themselves the target of raising £50,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support – and have already raised £25,000 in the past year. The couple decided on £50,000 as that is how much it costs to fund a Macmillan nurse for a year.

Now, having just climbed Kilimanjaro last month, they have signed up to take part in the Moroccan Three Summits, climbing the three highest mountains in North Africa. Mr Thompson, 48, has previously taken part in eight endurance treks for charities.

Mrs Thompson, 38, will have run four marathons in a year by the end of the summer, despite never running one before. The couple are also planning a Summer Ball at the Hilton in Newport in June and a charity zip slide at the Chepstow Dive centre in September.

In recognition of their hard work, they were recipients of an Extra Mile Award earlier this year and Mrs Thompson was appointed to the Newport mayor’s charity committee.

She said: “It’s all about doing something that is really challenging. It was amazing to be recognised for our work but we don’t do it for the recognition.

“It was a privilege to climb something like Kilimanjaro, which was obviously hugely challenging.”

The couple always pay for themselves, meaning 100 per cent of money raised goes straight to Macmillan.

They want to raise awareness that Macmillan helps people every day in Gwent, so their charity zip slide will solely raise money for the Gwent and South Wales branches of the charity.

They are seeking volunteers to help raise money from bucket collections and more. Contact Mrs Thompson on 07735 204233 or email Claire.thompson@clarity-alliance.com.

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