HAVING to watch her grandmother battle three types of cancer spurred Kaz Rose into a series of epic challenges to help those in need.

The 38-year-old from Park South has cycled and run hundreds of miles and is preparing for a marathon 400km ride in Africa later this year, if the pandemic allows.

Her grandmother Beryl Clarke died 15 years ago and her long fight against the disease had a huge impact on Kaz.

“We have had a couple of scares within the family but with my nan, she had breast then skin and it ended up in the lungs,” she said.

“I had to watch her fight it most of her life, if she was out of remission for one she was back out of it for another. So to watch her go through that was hard.”

It prompted her and wife Karen, 51, to do a 50-mile run for cancer charity Maggie's. The couple did a similar run for stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands.

Kaz, who has been through several cervical cancer scares over the years, said: “Anything I can to help a charity, I will do anything. So it does depend on who is crazy enough to ask me, it’s just about chipping away and making a little difference.”

“My wife she’s amazing and she supports whatever I do, however crazy.”

Some of the challenges have been more eventful than she bargained for. When she tackled a London to Parish cycle ride in 2005 after losing more than half her 24 stone body weight, she fell off on the first day, breaking her arm in five places. But after treatment she got back in the saddle and carried on pedalling for the next two days.

Thirteen years later she did the ride for a second time.

In October she is aiming to take part in the Dream Challenges Women V Cancer cycle in Kenya. To help meet her £3,500 sponsorship target for she took on a different kind of challenge and had her head shaved.

“When the first lockdown started I said I wouldn’t cut it," she explained. "People who know me know I don’t have long hair and I grew it just past my shoulders so that’s long for me - although I don’t usually have it this short.”

The six-day ride, which takes cyclists from the foothill of Mount Kenya through the bush to Kisumu, is part of a push to raise £3m for Breast Cancer Now, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.

Kaz, who has raised £2,830 so far, said: “Three of us signed up to do it but two have deferred because of the situation with Covid. There will always be people to meet so I’m hoping it will still go ahead. I do so many and this one is not very well-known but it helps three female cancer charities – cervical, ovarian and breast.”

“I want to say a big thankyou to everyone who has donated and helped us raise money so far.”

To donate go to justgiving.com/fundraising/karen-rose14