Kirkham boxer on triple fundraising mission with tyre-flip record attempt this Friday

Bill, a heavyweight professional, has been training hard for the feat and is determined to beat the record, starting this Friday morning.

But he is even more determined to raise as much money as possible for the local causes which are close to his heart.

He has set up a GoFundMe page and is hoping for plenty of support in reaching, or even beating, his £5,000 target - so far he has raised just under £2,240.

Bill, 37, of Fylde Street, who also runs his own security firm, said: "It would be great to beat the record, and I haven't been training this hard not to give it a proper go and I don't do things by halves..

"But my main aim is to help these people because all three are really deserving."

Those good causes are Kirkham Food Bank, Clint Grieve - a close friend of Bill’s who was recently paralysed from the neck down and needs key medical equipment, and Matthew Savage-Grattan, a 21 month old boy from Blackpool suffering from a rare form of cancer.

Fellow doorman and boxer Clint, from Blackburn, fell down stairs at his home earlier this year and was unable to move.

He is in desperate need of some additional equipment and adaptations at home to help him on the road to recovery, but due to the Covid 19 restrictions Clint is unable to receive the level of rehabilitation required, which is likely to hinder his recovery.

Little Matthew has recently been diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma , a type of tissue sarcoma (tumour), which is only found in fewer than 60 children in the UK each year.

He is only 21 months old and is being treated at Manchester Children’s Hospital.

His family are having to travel to Manchester every week for appointments and have to stay over when Matthew is having his treatments

Bill, who will split the total three ways, will attempt to flip that 28 stone (177kg) tyre for 24 hours without rest.

The current record is believed to be held by Daniel Garner, a RAF Flight Lieutenant from Nottingham, who flipped a mere 100kg for 24 hours at a distance of over 20km.

Bill added: "I didn’t set out to break a world record initially, I just wanted to do something difficult to raise money for causes close to my heart in the local community.

"So many people have supported me over the years so if I can give something back in these difficult times and encourage others to overcome their challenges then I’ll consider it a job well done.”

As a professional boxer, Bill is no stranger to physical exertion, however many believe the task he has set is one of the toughest an athlete could undertake.

Mark Barker has been training Bill in preparation for his fights for over 10 years and knows all too well the difficulty of the challenge he has set,

Mark said: “The average person burns around 400 calories in a 20 minute tyre flip or intense gym routine.

"Just to put into context what Bill is attempting, he will burn over 14000 calories, that’s the equivalent that most active gym goers will burn in two to three months of attending the gym - or to put it another way, it’s 75 per cent of the calories burned in an Everest summit climb!”

The attempt will take place at Progress Business Park in Kirkham, from 9am on Friday through to Saturday morning, when supporters can come along and flip a tyre with Bill for 30 mins or simply can watch all the action live on his Facebook page.

To help the cause, visit the fundraising page at: www.gofundme.com/f/mindovermattermanvtyre