Neil Mara, from Chelmsford, is cycling 500 miles to raise money Tom’s Trust. Neil’s nephew and his family have been supported by a Tom’s Trust clinical psychologist whilst undergoing treatment and beyond.
The accumulative 500 mile cycle will be made up of five separate bike rides across numerous locations over the UK. He will kick off with a warm up in Essex and then the first big ride will be through Loch Ness, Scotland, on the 27th April. He will finish his challenge in Chelmsford on 31st August. The entire 500-mile distance also winds through Ireland, Wales and Suffolk during the five-month span. He aims to raise of £2,000.
Neil, who currently works as a Construction Logistics Manager, first started cycling two years ago as part of a challenge with a friend. Over time he built up his experience with cycling marathons, starting off with ‘Ride London 60’, then ‘Ride London 100’, and finally ‘Dragon Ride Medio Fondo’.
This time, Neil has chosen to fundraise to support Tom’s Trust, who has played a significant part in his nephew’s journey after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018, aged just 7 years old. His diagnosis came as a complete shock to the family. Through working with the psychologist, Neil’s nephew was given the confidence to deal with his diagnosis whilst talking about it confidently, and he’s now able to organise himself to medicate himself as and when needed.
Neil says: “That’s why I am raising as much money as possible for the charity (Tom’s Trust) – the work they do literally keeps families lives on track.”
This isn’t the only reason that Neil will be taking part in this bike ride, though – it’s also with the intention of keeping up his own fitness. After he took part in the 100-mile Dragon Ride in 2024, which he had described as ‘a massive challenge’, he decided that he would be far more prepared for the pending journey this year.
When asked what he’s most looking forward to in this experience, Neil expressed his eagerness to be able to raise money whilst being surrounded by the natural beauty of his chosen locations.
He says: “I’m looking forward to riding round Loch Ness and the sightseeing, and Connemara is where my family name is from, so it has a personal historical touch to it.”
He won’t be braving the feat alone, though – Neil will have some support along the way, with a couple of bonus visits to keep up the element of fun.
He says: “My daughter and her boyfriend are coming with me also as a mini road trip, and we’ve hired a camper van. We’ll be stopping in Dublin on way out and Zip World in Wales on way back!”
Kirsty Keegan, Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Tom’s Trust, says: “A huge thanks and good luck to Neil. We are so grateful that he’s chosen to fundraise for Tom’s Trust and will be with him every step of the way. Our mission is to provide clinical psychology led support to children with brain tumours and their families, like Neil’s nephew and his family. Every penny donated to Neil’s £2,000 target will help us get closer to that. Thank you, Neil!”
To support Neil’s journey, his JustGiving page can be found here.