Epic 1,000 mile ride in memory of Marie
A father is taking on a 1,000-mile cycling challenge in memory of the mother of his young son and to raise money for charity.
Chris Hopkins and a team of nine other fundraisers will cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End over nine days in September in memory of Marie O’Toole.
She is the mother of his nine-year-old son Lewis and also mother to Elizabeth,19, Oliver, 16, and Charlie, 15.
Marie, a carer, died in January at the age of 37, 12 months after first being diagnosed with cervical cancer and just three months after being told it was terminal.
Chris, from Bilston, who had separated from Marie but remained close, wanted to do something as a tribute to her.
She said she would like to help charities connected to children’s mental health and so Chris is raising money for Christmas for CAMHS, which provides gifts to children on mental health wards, and Seed, which helps people with eating disorders.
Chris, director of Strength in Talking UK, which offers training in mental health first aid, said: “When I found out Marie’s cancer was terminal, I wanted to do something positive rather than concentrate on the negative.
“I couldn’t do anything to help her but I could do something positive in her name.
“We were together for six years. When I found out she had cancer I wanted to do everything I could to help her and to support our son.”
Chris, 41, who is now training for the ride, said Lewis was excited about the challenge and planned to be at Land’s End to see him complete it.
Ro Bevan, trustee of Christmas for CAMHS, which stands for child and adolescent mental health services, said: “We’re a really small charity, so to be chosen by something as big as this, doing such an incredible challenge is phenomenal. It’s going to be really helpful.”
The ride will begin on September 25, the anniversary of the day Marie told Chris the cancer was terminal.
Donations can be made at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/MariesChallenge2021
More details about the challenge can be found at https://www.facebook.com/marieschallenge2021
