NEWPORT siblings Emma and Damien Witheridge and their childhood friend Liz Bates have embarked on a series of silly dares and wacky challenges in aid of Myeloma UK.

The trio, who attended Lliswerry High School together, have so far done 50 squats wearing goggles, snorkels and flippers, walked around Cardiff dressed in The Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes, tackled the spicy Death Nut Challenge, and had cream pies and wet sponges thrown at them - all in a bid to raise funds towards vital research into myeloma, an incurable blood cancer which claims the lives of 3,000 people in the UK each year.

Damien and Emma also went out for coffee sporting face paint courtesy of Damien’s son Leo.

Damien, 33, from Newport, Liz, 34, who is based in Cornwall, and Emma, 35, who currently lives in Didcot, are now calling on the people of Newport to head to their JustGiving page and sponsor them to take on even more ridiculous dares in exchange for donations.

They’ll then upload videos of each challenge to YouTube for donors’ viewing pleasure.

Their fundraising efforts will culminate in the biggest challenge of all on August 20, when the group takes part in the Badminton Tough Mudder.

Emma, a nurse at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, said: “My brother suggested doing the challenges to keep people interested and reward people for donating. A colleague gave me an extra £100 because she wanted to throw cream pies in my face. I was happy to do it.

“We’ve done things like get a makeover from my nephew - he loved that one. We did 50 squats wearing flippers, snorkels and goggles in Cardiff Bay and we had to walk through Cardiff in Rocky Horror costumes. Most people didn’t bat an eyelid.

“We’re open to most things but we just don’t do anything that would have us struck off the register! Our initial target was £1,000 but we’ve already raised £640. People like to see us embarrassing ourselves.”

Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects more than 24,000 people in the UK. Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is especially difficult to detect as symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions.

While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.

More than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through an emergency route. By that point, many of them are experiencing severe or life-threatening symptoms.

As an oncology nurse, Emma has experienced firsthand the toll Covid-19 and shielding have taken on myeloma patients’ mental health, not to mention the impact of lifting restrictions. Myeloma patients have a weakened immune system and are therefore at much higher risk of catching Covid-19.

She said: "“I really want to raise awareness of the symptoms of myeloma and the struggle people have had to deal with it in the last few years, especially with Covid.

“Having that sort of diagnosis is hard anyway but I noticed during the lockdowns quite a deterioration in the mental health of the patients we saw at the hospital. That was really hard to see.

“I’d like people to understand what it’s like to be living like this. Covid rules have been lifted but people with myeloma are still vulnerable. These people are immunocompromised, they can’t go about doing normal things. That’s just not going to work.”

Never one to back down from a dare, Damien recently took on the Death Nut Challenge, which saw him chow down on “ridiculously spicy” peanuts, all in the name of charity.

“The peanuts were ridiculously spicy, and I had no drink to soothe the pain – it was not pleasant,” said the father-of-one, who works for the Great Western Railway. “I ended up sweating and I had stomach cramps all day. I felt like I was in the circle of hell, but I’ll do pretty much anything. As long as I’m not naked on the street anything goes.

“Emma was trying to think of things to do to raise money, so I said to her, ‘How about we do a forfeit for every £100 or £200, to entice people to donate but also as a thank you. That’s how it came about. She told me about myeloma and fair dues to people with myeloma. We want to do as much as we can to help.

“My next challenge is going shopping dressed as a Hula girl, with the full coconut bra, skirt and flower crown.”

To make a donation or dare the group to complete more silly challenges, head to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bananasyo

Alternatively check the group’s Facebook page: Tough Mudder Charity Fund Raiser - Team: BananasYo!