FUNDRAISERS for a charity set up in memory of a young woman who died of a brain tumour have collected £15,000 for two motorbikes.

The Madathon charity was set up in honour of Claire Gardiner, 30, of Heighington, near Darlington, who died within hours of being diagnosed in January 2013.

The group decided to raise money for the Northumbria Blood Bikes to buy it two motorbikes to carry blood and other medical supplies around the North-East.

To raise cash, the fundraisers were sponsored to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours and tackle the Great North Swim and Coast to Coast walk.

Edward Gardiner, 30, of Shildon, Claire’s brother, handed over the £15,000 raised today. (Sunday, August 24)

He said: “Claire and myself plus our brother Matthew are bikers born and bred and we thought the blood bikes group fitted in quite well with that.

“The aim of Madathon was to buy equipment for the NHS and so it tied in with that too.

“We aimed to get £15,000 for the blood bikes and we reached that target and we managed to buy them two new bikes with it. We’re very pleased with the outcome.”

Northumbria Blood Bikes covers an area from Berwick, in Northumberland, down to Darlington and across to Haltwhistle, in Northumberland.

Graham Moor, blood bikes fundraising co-ordinator, said: “It’s phenomenal that they have managed to raise that much money.

“It’s getting harder and more challenging to raise money and so to find people, like Madathon, who see the benefit of what we do and who then raise £15,000 for us is astounding.”