Bodmin engineers cycle length of Britain for colleague’s dad

Michael Hine has spent the past year moving between psychiatric wards, from Redruth to Stevenage and on to Weston-super-Mare, wherever a bed could be found for him. This week, his son Matt and six colleagues from a Bodmin engineering team are somewhere on the long road between John O’Groats and Land’s End, cycling the length of the country for him, and for others facing similar battles.

A father’s illness, a son’s answer

Matt Hine’s dad has lived with bipolar disorder for years, and more recently with what the family describes as a potential diagnosis of dementia. Suitable hospital beds near home have not always been available, and Michael has moved between psychiatric units many miles apart as a result, spending time in Redruth, in Stevenage north of London, and in a psychiatric intensive care unit in Weston-super-Mare, before returning closer to home earlier this year.

“This challenge started because of my dad Michael and what our family has been through,” said Matt Hine. “We wanted to turn that experience into something positive by supporting charities that mean so much to us all. The support we’ve received has been incredible, and we’re determined to keep pushing all the way to Land’s End.”

Matt had never ridden a road bike before he signed up.

Seven riders, six causes

The Cycle for Michael team is Matt Hine, Chris Hoskin, Jody Williams, Arron West, Ryan Brown and Phil Ball, all colleagues at National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) in Bodmin, supported on the road by Simon Padley and James Farrow. Friend Andy Burnett has joined them too, riding in support of the Rifles Regimental Trust.

Between them the group are raising money for five charities connected to their own experiences of cancer, mental health challenges, Alzheimer’s and motor neurone disease: the Mental Health Foundation, Prostate Cancer UK, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Alzheimer’s Society and Man Down UK.

“We’ve experienced hills, headwinds and tired legs but every mile is for something bigger,” said Arron West. “It’s about standing beside a mate, supporting a family, and raising money for everyone facing similar battles.”

870 miles, eight days, 12,000 miles of training

The team set off from John O’Groats on Saturday 13 September and are aiming to reach Land’s End by Sunday 20 September, an eight-day, 870-mile route the length of the country. They are now past the halfway point, with several long days still ahead of them.

Getting to the start line took months of preparation. The team collectively clocked up more than 12,000 training miles beforehand, roughly the equivalent of cycling nearly halfway around the globe.

How to help

The original £10,000 fundraising target has already been beaten. The team’s JustGiving page shows more than £12,000 raised in donations so far, with almost £3,000 more in Gift Aid on top. Matt’s own page alone has raised £3,793 toward the Mental Health Foundation, Ryan Brown has brought in £3,319 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and Chris Hoskin has already passed his target for Prostate Cancer UK.

Donations remain open, with Land’s End now the only signpost left to reach.