A COACH and driver are needed to help in a cycle ride that will raise money for research into a rare blood disorder.

June Kynoch, the grandmother of a child suffering from diamond blackfan anaemia, has arranged a coast-to-coast cycle ride to fund research.

June's daughter, Michelle Whitaker, has successfully undergone IVF treatment to create a baby genetically similar to her four-year-old son, Charlie Whitaker. The family hope the controversial treatment will result in a baby who could provide their son with a life-saving stem cell transplant.

There is no other known cure for the condition, or any full-time research looking into the disease. June, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, needs £50,000-a-year to fund a full-time researcher.

On May 9 she will set off from Whitehaven, with 40 other cyclists, on a three-day-ride to Sunderland. Anyone who can help with a coach, which can carry the cyclists and their bicycles to the starting point in Cumbria, is asked to call 07790 808720.