The
Cardiomyopathy
Association

Two brothers, who cycled the length of Britain, have raised more than £4,000 for the CMA in memory of their dad Sidney.

Stuart and Lee Smith cycled from Glencoe in Scotland to Boscombe on the south coast in all weathers.  Between them they cycled 810 miles in 12 days. While one cycled, the other kept close in their dad’s Morris Minor that he had lovingly restored.

Lee is pictured above, and both brothers left with their dad's car.

Stuart said: “When our dad died from dilated cardiomyopathy last year after a 15-year battle, my brother and I felt that we wanted to do something to commemorate him and at the same time thank the CMA for its support during his illness.

“We quickly settled on a bike ride, the route for which was decided by our decision to spread dad’s ashes at some of his favourite places around the UK.

"We divided the route up into manageable daily chunks of around 70 miles each. We booked accommodation, sorted out our bikes, waterproofs and equipment, set up a donation site and after nearly seven months of planning we were driving north in dad’s 1956 Morris Minor - our support vehicle for the journey.”

It took 12 hours to drive from their homes in Birmingham to Scotland, and the next day they set off, one driving the car while the other cycled, swapping at suitable points throughout the day.

Stuart added: “As the days passed we sprinkled more of Dad’s ashes in his favourite places, collected more donations from strangers and watched our online fundraising total increase. We used Facebook and our blog at www.cmabikeride.com to publicise the event and keep everyone updated on our progress.

“After 12 days of cycling, a couple of car troubles, two bicycle punctures, lots of rain, some slightly frayed emotions and plenty of wonderful scenery we arrived triumphant (and sore) in Boscombe, having had the adventure of a lifetime and raising over £4,000 for the CMA.

"The ride was a great success. We were both really pleased we took the time to do this trip. We got more out of it than we expected and raised far more money than we ever thought possible. Mission accomplished!”

If you'd like to do a challenge for the CMA, email Daniel Jackson.