BIKERS will be out in force for a rally inspired by a man’s battle with cancer.

Malcolm Carpenter, from Milborne St Andrew, is organising the Oak Motorcycle Rally to raise funds for the cancer care unit at Poole Hospital where he was treated.

The father-of-four and grandfather was diagnosed in November 2009 with cancer of the larynx.

Last August, shortly after organising the first Oak Motorcycle Rally, he was forced to have a partial laryngectomy, which meant having part of his voice box removed.

After weeks of being fed through the tube and slow recovery, Malcolm’s two latest biopsies have come back clear and he is now looking forward to riding out in the rally on Sunday, June 19.

The 52-year-old former builder said: “I just wanted to give something back to Poole cancer care unit for the hard work they all do for everybody.”

His wife Helen added: “It’s not until you go through something like that that you realise the type of care and commitment that is required.”

Malcolm organised the event with friends and family last year and over 100 bikers turned out to help raise more than £2,000.

Helen said: “It was so emotional that day. We met a lot of people that had suffered themselves and were going through treatment or members of their family were going through the same thing.”

The Carpenter family is hoping for an even more impressive turn out this year, with around 100 people already signed up including people from as far afield as Moscow and Germany.

The bikers will ride out from Milborne St Andrew’s Royal Oak pub at 11am and head down to West Bay, where they will have a break, before heading along to Lodmoor at Weymouth, where they will offer rides along the Esplanade for a small donation.

The rally will then head back to the Royal Oak for music, barbecue and family-friendly entertainment from 1pm.

Despite having lost around four stone, Malcolm is building himself up to lead out this year’s ride, adding: “I led it all last year and this year I’ve got to try and get the energy cause it’s hard doing that distance.”

Helen said the family wanted to thank all their friends who had supported them through Malcolm’s illness and helped to organise the event.

She also paid tribute to the support they had received from the doctors and nursing staff at Milton Abbas Surgery and their specialist counselling nurse Chris Center.

For more information or to register for the rally visit www.oak-motorcycle-rally.co.uk, call 07553 847463 or email info@oak-motorcycle-rally.co.uk