and he s doing it in honour of tom smith, the former scotland rugby captain, who died from the disease back in april, aged just 50. martin geissler went to meet him. andy petersen has lost family and friends to bowel cancer. so he decided to get on his bike to raise awareness of the condition and help to fight it. the symptoms, broadly, are blood in your stool, is a big one, abdominal pains, sudden loss of weight, change in bowel habits, all of which, actually, i m about to experience in the next seven days. but not because of bowel cancer, but because i am spending 16 hours a day on a bike. this is no ordinary challenge. over the next week, with no support team and just the bare essentials strapped to his bike, andy will cycle literally the length and breadth of britain. starting at lizard point, the southernmost tip of the mainland, he will go to the easternmost lowestoft in east anglia. from there, it is an enormous schlep up to dunnet head, the most northerly tip of mai
jobs and positions and work in order to volunteer here. it is just incredible that they can. really what they are working from, walking away from is safety and security. a little bit into the unknown, taking a risk. and how does it work? let s say i decide i am going to come in and volunteer, do i have to pay? yeah, so we have a crew fee system where crew are notjust volunteering, but they are covering their room and board in that. but that s covering food and their stay here, so normally someone has some kind of volunteer support for that as well. in recent years, some western aid projects have been criticised, with complaints they have arrived in africa like so called white saviours, demeaning and patronising the people they are trying to help. what do you, kind of, answer to that? when mercy ships comes into a country, we are notjust showing up with a ship on its doorstep and doing our thing. that is not how we operate. we are actually working with the nation, working
from, walking away from is safety and security. a little bit into the unknown, taking a risk. and how does it work? let s say i decide i am going to come in and volunteer, do i have to pay? yeah, so we have a crew fee system where crew are notjust volunteering, but they are covering their room and board in that. but that s covering food and their stay here, so normally someone has some kind of volunteer support for that as well. in recent years, some western aid projects have been criticised, with complaints they have arrived in africa like so called white saviours, demeaning and patronising the people they are trying to help. what do you, kind of, answer to that? when mercy ships comes into a country, we are notjust showing up with a ship on its doorstep and doing our thing. that is not how we operate. we are actually working with the nation, working with the ministry of health, local partners, community
0ur volunteer crew are amazing. they give up being close to family, being close to friends, many of them are walking away from salaried jobs and positions and work in order to volunteer here. it is just incredible that they can. really what they are working from, walking away from is safety and security. a little bit into the unknown, taking a risk. and how does it work? let s say i decide i am going to come in and volunteer, do i have to pay? yeah, so we have a crew fee system where crew are notjust volunteering, but they are covering their room and board in that. but that s covering food and their stay here, so normally someone has some kind of volunteer support for that as well. in recent years, some western aid projects have been criticised, with complaints they have arrived in africa like so called white saviours, demeaning and patronising the people they are trying to help. what do you, kind of,
and how does it work? let s say i decide i am going to come in and volunteer, do i have to pay? yeah, so we have a crew fee system where crew are notjust volunteering, but they are covering their room and board in that. but that s covering food and their stay here, so normally someone has some kind of volunteer support for that as well. in recent years, some western aid projects have been criticised, with complaints they have arrived in africa like so called white saviours, demeaning and patronising the people they are trying to help. what do you, kind of, answer to that? when mercy ships comes into a country, we are notjust showing up with a ship on its doorstep and doing our thing. that is not how we operate. we are actually working with the nation, working with the ministry of health, local partners, community leaders, years before the ship even arrives. and the question we are asking them is, what do you need? how can we serve you? this is your nation, your people, your vision,