Local pair to face gruelling 24 hour sailing challenge

Matthew Velamail and Tim Brownell sail in aid of Brain Tumour Research © Brain Tumour Research

Matthew Velamail and Tim Brownell sail in aid of Brain Tumour Research © Brain Tumour Research

Matthew Velamail, 20, of Wickersley, Rotherham, along with his friend Tim Brownell, also 20, from Dinnington, are to take part in an annual 24 hour sailing event in Southport on 10 and 11 September this year in a bid to raise vital funds for Brain Tumour Research.

The race, which takes place on Southport Marine Lake and is fiercely contested by sailing clubs nationwide, is the UK’s number one endurance dinghy race where the challenge is to be the boat which travels the furthest distance over a 24 hour period. Like the Le Mans 24 hour car race, the crews change over every one or two hours; Matt and Tim, however, will not enjoy this luxury, as they plan to sail the race without a single break, no matter how windy, cold or wet the conditions.

The close friends are both very experienced sailors and members of Ulley Sailing Club in South Yorkshire (between Rotherham and Sheffield) – Matt has been sailing since the age of 13 and Tim since the age of 10. The pair both had an excellent initiation to the sport, being taught by no less than World Number One laser sailor and Olympic Gold medallist, Paul Goodison’s father.

Tragically, Matt’s inspiration for this race is his own father’s diagnosis in December 2009 with an incurable brain tumour. Vetri Velamail was a GP for more than 20 years in Rotherham and is the father of two other children, apart from Matt. Despite undergoing courses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Vetri has now come to the end of all available treatment in this country.

Matt, who is about to start his final year at Hull University, where he is doing a BSc Hons in Sport Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention, and Tim, who is planning on doing a Paramedics course at Sheffield Hallam University, are hoping to raise at least £5,000 to help fund the fight against brain tumours, which kill more children and people under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Matt commented: “The statistics around brain tumours are crazy; hardly anyone knows anything about them, yet they are such a big killer and less than 1% of national cancer research is spent on brain tumours. Even though any medical breakthroughs will be too late for my Dad, I have been so inspired by the courage he has shown throughout his battle, as well as his sustained dedication to doing all he can to raise awareness of the plight of brain tumour sufferers. I hope that the fundraising challenge which Tim and I have set ourselves will raise enough to go some way to bringing hope for brain tumour patients in the future. We desperately need to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for this terrible disease.”

To sponsor Matt and Tim please go to www.justgiving.com/Mattim24hour

For more information on the charity, Brain Tumour Research, go to www.braintumourresearch.org