On Friday 9th July 2021, myself, brother and Dad plus 9 best friends will be taking on the challenging Way of the Roses, Coast to Coast cycle ride between Morecambe and Bridlington. This gruelling 170-mile ride, which will take 3-days to complete, will pass through the historic cities of York and Lancaster, and lesser-known gems such as Settle, Pateley Bridge and Ripon.

People who are close to me will know that as a family we have had a difficult 5-years after my mum (Linda) suffered a major stroke which has left her severely disabled, and unable to talk or walk or have any function in her right hand side of her body. For this reason, we are raising money for the Stroke Association who have played a key role in mum’s rehabilitation, and daily ongoing care.

I am also very passionate to raise awareness for mental health, having written an article in the FEN called ‘its ok not to be ok’ where I talked about my own personal experiences when my children moved to America last year. Thankfully with the support of my family and friends, I got the right support to aide my recovery but not every man has that same luck with many left fighting depression and other mental health illnesses. For this reason, another one of my chosen charities is Movember who many just associate with growing a moustache during the month of November as part of fund-raising campaigns. Movember is however much more than this and provides guidance and support for many men across the UK fighting mental health illness, prostate cancer and testicular cancer – all of which are the biggest killers of men across the nation.

Please dig deep and help me raise money for these amazing charities. As a group we have agreed to split the donations 50/50 between the two charities and support these worthy causes