Kent residents raise £7,000 for charity with cycling challenge
A group of cyclists from Kings Hill Wheelers Cycling Club - a Kent-based group - took on a cycling challenge from John O' Groats to Lands End which they completed over the weekend to fundraise for charities including Dementia UK, the specialist dementia nursing charity.
The group – which consists of three riders, Martin Bartlett, Mat McLoughin, and Richard Chatfield - raised £7,000 in total. Part of the proceeds will go to Dementia UK, to fund the charity’s vital work, with the rest going towards Alzheimer’s Research UK and Diabetes UK. They set of from John O Groats on Saturday 24th May and finished the journey at Lands End on Sunday, June 1, totalling 100 miles per day for nine days.
The group decided to fundraise for Dementia UK in memory of Shelagh Rogers – the late wife of their close friend. Shelagh passed away in 2024 after living with the condition. The money raised will help the charity to provide more dementia specialist Admiral Nurses, to support families facing dementia.
Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia: a progressive and complex condition that can be devastating for the whole family. It’s a huge and growing health crisis and is the leading cause of death in the UK.
Admiral Nurses are continually supported and developed by Dementia UK, to provide life-changing advice and support to anyone affected by dementia, whenever it’s needed. They work on the free national Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline, in face-to-face and virtual clinics, and in the community, in GP practices, hospitals, and care homes.
Kings Hill Wheelers Cycling Club member, Martin Bartlett, said: “Taking on this challenge was important for us, not only to honor Shelagh’s memory, but to raise awareness of Dementia UK – a charity helping so many families facing dementia.
“The cycle was tough, we struggled at points, but we were so pleased to be able to raise these funds for the charity.”
Joanna Sullivan, Deputy Director of Fundraising at Dementia UK said: “We are so grateful to the members of Kings Hill Wheelers Cycling Club for taking on this incredible challenge for Dementia UK. One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime - either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both.
"It can be exhausting and overwhelming, not only for the person with dementia, but also for the people caring for them, and their wider family and friends.
“Thanks to the hard work of our amazing fundraisers like these, more families than ever will be able to access the life-changing support offered by our Admiral Nurses.”
To find out how to fundraise for Dementia UK visit www.dementiauk.org/get-involved/events-and-fundraising/