Cancer patient takes on bowls challenge

Jim Harvey is set to play 100 ends of bowls at Bitton Park Bowling Club on Saturday

A bowls enthusiast with incurable bowel cancer is taking on a big challenge to raise money for a hospital unit.

Jim Harvey is planning to play 100 ends - a single round of play - at Bitton Park Bowling Club in Teignmouth on Saturday with the aim of raising at least £1,000 for Torbay Hospital's Ricky Grant Day Unit.

The 67-year-old is due to begin the challenge, which is set to involve three miles (4.82km) of walking, at 09:00 BST and is expected to finish at about 18:40.

Mr Harvey said he wanted to give something back to the unit which had helped him.

He said he was "inches away from death" four-and-a-half years ago after his bowel perforated.

"The tumour that was there was kind of keeping everything together, but it just went one day and I was violently ill," he said.

"I was basically just skin and bones... but I was brought back from the brink by the team at the unit, who are just fantastic."

Mr Harvey said the games would be simplified to have four bowls each played at a "slow, steady plod" and he would have a couple of 20-minute breaks during the day.

People have donated money to play against Mr Harvey during the day.

Among the people who have stepped forward to play Mr Harvey include four-time World Indoor Bowls champion Rob Paxton.

'Do something positive'

Mr Harvey said he wanted to show his appreciation to the unit and its team.

"I was sat in the unit one day waiting for treatment and saw some cheques on the wall from where people had fundraised for them," he said.

"I thought it would be great to do something, just to give them something back."

Mr Harvey, who is due to have a round of chemotherapy the day before the challenge, said he expected the challenge to be tiring, but he was determined to finish it.

He added: "The last four-and-a-half years have taught me to take each day as it comes and try to do something positive and keep going."