In early 2015 our daughter Joanna was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and she passed away in March 2022 after her long battle, at the age of 40, leaving behind her husband Christian, and two daughters Matilda (12) and Amelie (9). There were several charities that helped Jo and her family to deal with their journey, but the most important for Jo was Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington. She spent most of her last 3 months, including her last days there. She even referred to Oakhaven as ‘home’ when it was time to go back after spending her last Christmas at home with us. We cannot thank the staff and volunteers enough for the care and support they gave to Jo and to Christian and the girls.

In the summer of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, and just days before her 11th birthday, Jo’s daughter Matilda was diagnosed with leukemia, and started a two and a half year treatment plan under the care of the Piam Brown Children’s Cancer Unit at the Southampton General Hospital. The care they gave her was fantastic, and she is now doing well, and her life is back on track. Many of the support facilities for the children and parents are made available through the Piam Brown charity. There were days and weeks when both Jo and Matilda (with Dad) were in hospital, being treated for cancer, or fighting infections or side effects brought on by the chemotherapy. All of this with Covid restrictions and lockdowns in place. The support given by the team at the Piam Brown Ward, helped the family through some very difficult times.

So what is this challenge all about? At the start of the first lockdown in March 2020, I started cycling every day around the New Forest. It was a good way to keep busy every morning, and a great distraction during Covid. After passing 5000 miles, I turned my daily cycling into the ‘Trinidad Challenge’, which was 8700 miles, the equivalent of Trinidad (where my parents were born) and back, in about 15 months. We raised over £30k for charities that had supported Jo and her family, including the two named here, and we thank everyone for their generous contributions. Then I kept on cycling, and when I reached about 15,000 miles, I set myself the new challenge of ‘Around the World’ (24,901 miles around the equator) in 4 years, cycling every day, rain or shine, with a weekly target of around 120 miles, averaging 500 miles a month. I am cycling every day, when home, without a break, because those dealing with cancer or other debilitating diseases don’t get the option to take a day off, so why should I? Also, cycling every day has provided a huge distraction to help deal with the reality of a life without Jo, but now it’s time to move forward, and I now need to swap many of those lonely hours on my bike, for more time with my family and friends. It’s been nearly four years, with many cold, wet winter rides, including one in a thunderstorm! Now I am getting close to the goal with over 24,000 miles behind me, one broken bike frame, and with the finish line in sight in late March, I would like to invite you to support me, if you can, in raising funds for our charitable causes. Help us to ‘pay it forward’ to two incredible charities that provided so much support for Jo and Matilda, and will continue to do so for so many other individuals, families, and in particular children, in our area.

Thank you

Noel (Ozzie) Osborne