A man from Harrogate will cycle 288 miles from the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre to Southampton for Macmillan Cancer Support.
A man from Harrogate will cycle 288 miles from the Sir Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre in his hometown to Southampton for Macmillan Cancer Support. Simon Gregory, 39, is aiming to complete the journey in the space of just 24 hours, and hopes to raise £10,000 in memory of his aunt Rev Ruth Scott, a well-respected Reverend and broadcaster. Rev. Scott was part of the BBC Radio 2 Show ‘Pause for Thought’ alongside Sir Terry Wogan and then Chris Evans for over 25 years, but her endeavours went beyond the radio, as Simon explains:
"She led a remarkable life and worked in many places such as Egypt, Afghanistan and Syria in conflict management. "She cycled from Rome to Jerusalem with very little training, it took her three weeks across several mountain ranges and 2,500 miles. She had the strength of character that, even if her body was broken, her strength of mind would see her complete it. "We had a very silly, giggly, loving and supportive relationship. In many ways, Macmillan were able to deliver that for her but also for the people around her."At the time of his Aunt’s death in February 2019, Simon was just starting out in cycling, and his challenge will take place on Friday 18th June at noon, aiming to arrive at University Hospital Southampton - where his Aunt was treated - 24 hours later. Simon added:
"I realised that getting out on the bike doing some miles helped incredibly with dealing with the grief of losing Ruth and all the grief that had been stored up from cousins and my uncle that had also had cancer. "In Macmillan, she (Ruth) found a team of people who were very much willing to listen in a trusted environment where she was able to talk. Sometimes it was just the talking that helped. She found Macmillan said the right things when needed and when not to say things, and just give her a hug. "Chris, Ruth’s husband, and my cousins would have found the whole experience much more difficult and traumatic had there not been support from the specialist nurses and team from Macmillan."Adele Burrough, Fundraising Manager in Yorkshire, said:
"After speaking to Simon before Christmas, I was so excited to hear about his fundraising plans and challenge. Simon is a fantastic guy and I have no doubt that he will achieve his planned target of £10,000. "Even with the changing landscape because of the pandemic, Simon is planning his fundraising covering both eventualities, including setting up a ‘text to donate’ to make contactless fundraising even easier. "Last year was one of the toughest in Macmillan’s 100-year history, but it is thanks to the incredible support of fundraisers like Simon that go above and beyond raising money for Macmillan so that we can move mountains and be there to help people living with cancer."You can donate by texting 'RUTH24 £10' or 'RUTH24 £25' to 70550 or visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ruthscott24 Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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