Santa's ride to Wairoa to build a fund for struggling firefighters

Santa will be ditching the sleigh for a motorbike on Sunday to ride from Napier to Wairoa to raise money for firefighters.

Former Hawke's Bay firefighter Ross Arthur is on a mission to raise money for those in the profession suffering from cancer and post traumatic stress disorder.

He wants to set up a fund that helps them between diagnosis and ACC funding kicking in.

He has set one up with the Firefighters Credit Union, which anyone in New Zealand can donate to.

To kick off fundraising, more than 20 riders from the Red Knights, a global motorcycle club, will ride from Napier to Wairoa to raise money.

Arthur said there is often a lag between a diagnosis of cancer or PTDS, and ACC funding kicking in.

"Any funds which go into the account will be made available to anyone who is suffering financially due to this.

"Even if its $200 for groceries for the week, or something like that, it's just so someone has somewhere to turn to."

The charity ride will leave from Napier Fire Station at 10am on Sunday and end in Wairoa.

The riders are being encouraged to dress-up in Santa suits, so people notice the procession.

He plans to make the ride bigger next year, possibly including other clubs from across the North Island all riding to Taupo.

Eventually, he hopes to see the event spread to all of New Zealand, and do a week or two Cape to Bluff ride.

It picks up from the Firefighters Rides for Cancer, which used to run from Auckland to Bluff and back again, raising funds for the Cancer Society, which ran for several years, but, in Arthur's words, fell by the wayside.

He was inspired to try and re-create the ride to raise money for firefighters after watching an episode of Sunday, which focused on the occupational risks of firefighters.

It's an issue close to his heart, having spent seven years as a firefighter, five in Taranaki and two with the Ongaonga brigade.

He only quit as, where he lives in Ashley Clinton, meant he was 15 minutes away from the station when the bell went off.

"Because of the distance from the distance from the station, I was never going to make the truck."

New to the area and relying on Google to get him to jobs, Arthur missed a cardiac arrest, thinking he had come to the end of the road and being forced to turn back.

"As it turned out, the guys in the truck we just on the other side of the hill, and they were there dealing with it.

"From then I just looked it and thought, I'm putting lives at risk here."

He said he had always enjoyed giving back to the community through his career as a firefighter, and it was a tough decision to resign.

Those wanting to support the fund can donate to the bank account 03 1767 0323520 000.