Fife man Chris to cycle Lands End to John O'Groats for charity

For St Andrews community councillor Chris will be pedalling from Lands End to John O’Groats later this month.

The mammoth effort is in aid of Alzheimer’s Research – and he’s aiming to raise £1500 for the charity.

He’ll have to cycle more than 110 miles a day to cover the 1000 miles between the two points, in the nine days he has set himself.

He won’t even have the luxury of a hot bath and a ready-made, comfortable bed to collapse into each night – when the cycling is finished for the day, it’s into his tent for the night.

Chris turned 40 recently, and he explained: “I’d always planned to do something really memorable for my 40th birthday, though I probably expected it to be something a little more relaxing. However, my employer, Prudential, works with a number of charities and hearing a presentation by one of our Alzheimer partners inspired me to do something a little more meaningful.”

And memorable this cycle ride will be, for Land’s End to John O’Groats is probably the most challenging ride that in the UK, from the rugged coastline of Cornwall up to the barren majesty of the Scottish Highlands.

Chris is already amazed by the generosity of friends and family and Prudential has also donated £500, and he is determined to see his challenge through.

“If you don’t already know someone suffering from Alzheimer’s then you will do soon,” he said, warning: “In fact – and I’m sorry to break this to Citizen readers – it might well be you.

“My journey to John O’Groats starts on September 10, and donations to Alzheimer’s Research UK would be fantastic – just go to my Just Giving page.”

Around 500,000 people in the UK have Alzheimer’s and in the future, Chris said: “Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia will be one of the biggest challenges for our generation. One in 10 of us will be affected. If we want to stand any chance to understand what causes Alzheimer’s and dementia, and how we can protect against it, we need to start now.”

Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes dementia and is the most common cause of dementia. More information about Alzheimer’s research and coping with the disease is available at http://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/.