A keen fundraiser is set to put on his walking boots to combine his two passions – charity and travel.
Richard James Casey, of Hengoed, has been volunteering for charity Marie Curie for five years.
Now the 28-year-old is set to trek the Great Wall of China in May in a bid to raise more than £3,000 for Marie Curie, which provides expert care and support to those living with terminal illness and their families.
Richard first volunteered with Marie Curie’s Llanelli fundraising group after seeing a role of chairperson being advertised.
He said: “At the time, my mum had just been diagnosed with bowel cancer, though at that point it wasn’t terminal.
“I wanted to support a charity that helped people with a cancer diagnosis and provided support to them and their families. About a year later my mum passed away, and while we didn’t have a Marie Curie nurse to come help us ? she went so quickly – we were told that we would get some support if a Marie Curie Nurse became available.
“We were able to care for Mum ourselves in the final days, but I remember thinking what would we have done if we weren’t able to. It’s at times like that Marie Curie Nurse’s really are a light in the darkest hours.”
Richard, who is an operations manager for an animal welfare charity, moved to Hengoed last year and now volunteers with the Caerphilly fundraising group.
Talking about the Great Wall of China trek, he said: “It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do, to go and see the Great Wall, but I’ve also always wanted to do an overseas expedition to fundraise for Marie Curie.
“I’ve always been hugely fascinated with different cultures and history, and it just felt like a perfect opportunity to tie in my own interests with doing something for others that I’m hugely passionate about.”
So far he has raised £2750 of his £3300 target and hopes to hold a car boot sale and an evening of entertainment in the coming months.
If you would like to support Richard, visit justgiving.com/richardcaseymc.