A NAILSEA doctor is cycling through Zanzibar with Peter Andre to raise money for charity.

North Somerset Times: Jon Rees and nurse anaesthetist Fatawi with the Glostavent anaesthetic machine paid for by North Somerset Rotary clubs.Jon Rees and nurse anaesthetist Fatawi with the Glostavent anaesthetic machine paid for by North Somerset Rotary clubs. (Image: Archant)

Jon Rees, from Brockway Medical Centre, will be riding across rough terrain for 10 days to raise thousands of pounds to set up new life-saving services at a hospital in East Africa.

Health Improvement Project Zanzibar was set up by Ru MacDonagh, a consultant surgeon at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, who became friends with Peter Andre after performing an emergency operation on him to remove some kidney stones during his 2010 tour.

Peter Andre has since become an ambassador of the charity and is also dating Dr MacDonagh’s daughter Emily, aged 23. Dr Rees, aged 40, used to work with Dr MacDonagh in Zanzibar and has been fundraising for the charity for a number of years.

He said: “We are cycling around Zanzibar which is where our charity runs two hospitals.

“Last time we raised £80,000 which kept us going as a charity for about three to four years.

“We transformed the small hospital in the south of the island and started maternity, surgical and primary care units.

“We’ve now taken over a bigger hospital and hope to transform that over the next 10 years.”

The hospitals are staffed with local staff and are responsible for the health of more than 250,000 people. The 36-strong group will be taking part in the challenge from June 6-16 and the fundraisers are planning to cycle 50-60km a day.

To sponsor Jon visit www.justgiving.com/jon-rees2