AN Okehampton man will be setting off on a marathon charity motorcycle ride this Saturday from one end of the country to the other. Darren Morrish was born in Okehampton and lived there for many years before moving to Bristol. In July 2006 his son Mike died suddenly, aged only 19, following an epileptic fit. This weekend Darren will be raising money for Epilepsy Awareness. His route will take him through Okehampton, as well as Windermere, Perth and Inverness, and will take two days in each direction. 'I'll be on the road for about ten hours a day,' Darren said, 'It won't be very easy on my bum!' He will be accompanied on some stretches of the route by friends and other motorcyclists. 'There's a bike club from Windermere joining me for part of the way, and two other clubs from Scotland and London are coming along to support me too,' he said. Currently, around 450,000 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, and around one in 20 people will have a seizure in their lifetime. There are 1,000 deaths each year in this country from the disease — more than cot deaths and Aids combined — and around half of those are sudden and unexpected deaths in young people. Darren said the shock and sense of loss from his own son's unexpected death will never leave him. He is seeking sponsorship for his ride, and all money raised will go towards the cost of medical research into epilepsy. Recent research suggests that 42% of deaths from epilepsy — up to 400 a year — are potentially avoidable and happen because of lack of access to neurological specialists and the best treatment centres. To sponsor Darren, visit his website at http://www.freewebs.com/endtoendandba">www.freewebs.com/endtoendandba ck or email morrishdarren@ hotmail.com Darren will be stopping in Okehampton for a half-hour rest on both the north-bound and south-bound legs of his journey. Sponsors and supporters can cheer him along at 8.30am on Saturday, and again — before his very last stretch —at 3pm on Wednesday. Anyone with a motorbike is also welcome to join him as moral support for a stretch of the journey.
