ROGUES GALLERY PROFILES

Steve Dourass
Area Fundraising Manager - Macmillan Cancer Support
Steve is the Blind Dave Team ‘Liaison’ person & driver – he will be working with the Challenge itinerary to make sure individuals are in the right place at the right time – plus of course liaising with the media along the route. Known to his close friends as ‘Mad Dog’, because of his ‘drive’ to make things happen!

Dave Dourass
Key Volunteer – Macmillan Cancer Support
Dave is the Blind Dave Team ‘Gofer’ – driver, labourer, ‘alarm clock’ and willing to put his hand to anything that will help the Challenge ‘tick’ and run sweetly. Affectionately known as ‘ticker’ – because he ticks all the boxes!

Rosemary Rhodes

Rosemary Rhodes is a physiotherapist based at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, which is where she first met Dave Heeley on his 777 Challenge in 2008. Originally from the Channel Isles, Rosemary qualified as a physiotherapist in the UK in 1987 and worked for 13 years for the NHS in the West Midlands, before moving abroad with her husband. She now has a practice that specialises in treating endurance runners and triathletes, as well as professional tour golfers.  She has experience in helping athletes reach their goals in the best physical condition possible, from marathon runners to 100 mile racers and Ironman eventers.  In her spare time Rosemary enjoys running and, with friends in Dubai, has been involved in charity fundraising before. She is taking time off to return to the UK to support "Blind Dave" and Macmillan in this epic event and is excited to be a member of the team keeping Dave going in his challenge.

Gary Wells

Always up for a challenge or any charitable event, here I find myself in the midst of Mr. Heeleys. Having raised funds for various charities before I met Dave some six years ago, his inspiration is infectious and many more charities have benefited because of this. Seeing people who are somewhat less fortunate than myself is heartfelt and whatever their disabilities, be it deafness, blindness or cancerous I always feel the need to help out in whatever way I can. To give a little means a lot, it means a lot to give a little!!!



Dave Sinar

"I have ridden and raced since I was a school boy. I belonged to the
Beacon Road Cycling Club based in Northfield and am currently a member of
the Mick Ives cycling team
Achievements
Held the British Speed Record in Late 1970's 62.3mph on the
"dark horse" recumbent tandem with ex professional late Trevor Bull - Second
in the world!
Held the record on Box Hill, Bath as the fastest to ever climb
1992 - won the Divisional Road Race Championships
2001 - Silver Medal in National Vets Road Race Championships
2002 - Bronze Medal in National Vets Hill Climb
Many road races around the country which I have won over the
years of my racing career

And as I always say "riding a bike isn't just a hobby or sport it has been and is my life!"
Now at 54 and just recovering from prostate cancer, knowing that I shall be taking part in this fantastic ride is spurring me on to make a speedy recovery. I am really grateful to be asked to be part of this fantastic team and am really looking forward to being part of this experience

Steve Dugmore

Born and bred in the Black Country, 55 years young and got roped in by the constant nagging of Dave Heeley (only joking…..mmm). I have been lucky enough to have served 36yrs a Police officer and for the last 4 plus in charge at Sandwell which is where I met Dave. Every cloud has silver lining as this year I got retired early but without that I would not be on this challenge – so lucky me!!! MacMillan cancer support is a great organisation and sadly close to my heart with the amount of family and friends I have lost to cancer. I am really looking forward to supporting Dave through this tough challenge as he is an inspiration to us all.

Karl Moore

I'm forty something and married to my wonderful Michelle we have five children Amber(21),Louis(19),Tilly(14),Oli(10) & Alfie(8).

I've been training and supporting Dave with his inspirational fund raising efforts for about six years.
I've completed six Marathons, ten half marathons and twenty seven 10k's with a few other distances thrown in over the years since I started running competitively for West Bromwich Harriers in 2005.

I'm looking forward to joining the team on Dave's top2toe challenge and aim to run and cycle every mile of the route in memory of Bob Macmillan and Peter Kennedy.

Dave Long

At the age of 27 I am the youngest and probably the best looking member of
the challenge team. I have been running with Dave for two years and running
at club level for three, I currently run for Royal Sutton Coldfield AC
having previously trained with West Bromwich Harriers where I met Karl and
Dave. I have completed four marathons including my personal best in 2010 of
2:52:22. The challenge will be the ultimate test of endurance. Whilst on
the challenge I leave my pregnant wife Laura and my son (Charlie, 2) in the
hope that the new arrival can wait till the due date in early September .

Mike Hopkins

Mike Hopkins is the Principal of South Birmingham College a large and very successful Further Education College in the Midlands., and a keen cyclist who still competes in road races, time trials and cyclocross. Through Mike the College and its students have supported Macmillan Cancer for many years. Always up for a challenge the Top to Toe challenge provided a perfect combination of cycling and support for Macmillan plus a great opportunity for college students to get involved (media students will be filming the challenge).

However as Mike points out his involvement with the challenge was in fact 'engineered' by Steve Dourass from Macmillan. "I've known Steve for a while and he's always involving me in his fundraising ideas. Last year he asked me if I'd speak to Dave about the cycling aspect of the challenge and give him some advice, little did I know that the meeting was in fact to persuade me to take part as the front rider for Dave!, I found out later that they'd assumed that I was going to do it before I met with Dave!" "It didn't take much to persuade me and those who know me weren't too surprised!"

"Dave's a very easy guy to get on with and we have the same sense of humour - and we need for this challenge!"
South Birmingham College and its staff and students are supporting the event and many will be either running or cycling some of the stages of the challenge.

Andy Williams

Andy Williams is the South Birmingham College transport manager and the lead driver supporting Dave and the challenge. A lifelong Aston Villa supporter he confesses that football is his passion and that he is far more at home behind a wheel than actually doing exercise. This isn't Andy's first challenge as he has supported Mike the principal on a number of charity fund raising challenges over the years including a 2300 mile ride on Route 66 in the USA

Blind Dave

Dave was born 24th November 1957, but any one asking him, on his next birthday he will be 39 and 180 months. He is married to wife Debbie whom he whisked off to Gretna Green (a romantic at heart). They have a hattrick of girls whom he is very proud of, also an important member of the family is guide dog Wicksie.

He was always known as a clumsy kid, never a day passed without cuts, bruises or a broken pair of glasses, until at around ten years of age all was revealed, he was diagnosed with an eye complaint called Retinitas Pigmentosa, just a slight problem, it meant he was going blind. When first diagnosed he was quite a celebrity at school, "Wow Dave's going blind", no one else was so it was a case of " I've got something you haven't got". He attended mainstream schools, Greets Green Junior and George Salter High School, his only claim to fame; he was the town champion at 1500 metres for five years. Read more