26 year-old Cameron Johnson from Kempston is fine-tuning his training as he prepares to saddle up for the all-new RideLondon-Essex 100 challenge at the end of the month (29 May).
Cameron first signed up to the cycling event – then called The Prudential Ride London – in 2020 to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in memory of his grandad, but had to put the brakes on his plans when the pandemic hit.
Two years later and Cameron is more ready than ever to face his biggest on road challenge in a bid to support the charity who in his words, “made my grandad’s final few days as comfortable as possible and provided invaluable support to my family.
“When it came to the point where my grandad needed more help, it was decided that he wasn’t well enough to be moved to Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice.”
This didn’t phase the St John’s team though. They agreed to help Cameron’s grandad in the comfort of his own home and brought the hospice experience to him.
“Not only did the hospice staff go above and beyond to support my grandad, but they also took huge pressure off our family so we could focus on helping each other through what was a really difficult time for us all.
“Even after my grandad sadly passed they called to make sure that we knew they were there for us anytime. We could never thank them enough for their kindness and support,”
Taking part in the RideLondon-Essex 100 is something that heating engineer, Cameron, had been keen to do for a while, but losing his grandad gave him the push he needed to take the plunge.
The brand new 100 mile route will see participants set off from Victoria Embankment in central London and into Essex via the historic Epping Forest to continue their journey around some of the county’s most picturesque towns and villages before heading back into central London to reach the finishing line via Tower Bridge.
When Cameron first started fundraising in 2020 – back when he originally signed up – he had raised an incredible £1,120 and Cameron hopes to add to this total.
To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Cameron-Johnson6.
And if Cameron’s story inspires you to saddle up for Sue Ryder visit sueryder.org/events to check out the latest cycling events.
