THE manager of Recharge is preparing to embark on a mammoth fundraiser in aid of four charities.

Alan Bell has been at the forefront of Recharge, the Tranent youth group, for 11 years, and is taking on a challenge that will see him walk and cycle all across Scotland.

Mr Bell told the Courier the reasons behind the challenge.

He said: “At the end of 2016 my dad suffered a spinal stroke which paralysed him suddenly from the chest down. This resulted in him being in hospital 80 miles away in the Queen Elizabeth spinal unit in Glasgow for nine months. He spent over a year in hospital.

“As a result of this I have decided that I want to take on a challenge to raise awareness of spinal strokes, as I never knew anything about them before my dad suffered one, and also raise some money for some fantastic charities who helped me and my family.”

During the year-long challenge, he plans to cycle 403 miles – in recognition of the number of days his dad Tom spent in hospital. Mr Bell also plans to get to the summit of 232 hills or mountains over 175 metres, including the 10 highest mountains in the UK – 232 is the number of days his 71-year-old dad spent in the spinal unit.

The 35-year-old is raising money for Spinal Injuries Scotland, RSABI, Recharge and the Walk with Scott Foundation.

Of Spinal Injuries Scotland, he said: “They provided fantastic support to my dad and family whilst he was in hospital and helped him overcome lots of the challenges of becoming suddenly paralysed”, while RSABI “massively helped out by providing my dad with financial assistance”.

And he thanked Recharge, adding: “I couldn’t have asked for any more support – they made a challenging time a lot easier.”

“This is for the Scotters who would give me a lift when it was needed,” he added of deciding to donate money to the Walk With Scott Foundation, set up by Recharge president and Mr Bell’s good friend Scott Glynn. He also aims to raise awareness of spinal strokes throughout the challenge, which he hopes to complete by next August.

Mr Bell aims to raise £1,000 and already has £250 donated – donate at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/alangjbell. Follow his progress at facebook.com/spinal strokechallenge