This August Bank Holiday weekend, 11-year-old, Jacob, from Dorset, will be gearing up to take on a 121-mile sponsored cycle challenge to raise funds for Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research (SMSR) in honour of his Great Nana, now paralysed after a recent fall.

“My Great Nana recently fell and broke her neck. She is now paralysed from the chest down and has very little control of her arms and no control/feeling of her legs,” explained Jacob. “Her life has changed very quickly. She can no longer feed herself, use a toilet, or keep in touch with family and friends.”

He added: “My ‘Great Nana Law’ was an active, independent, and very sociable lady and was part of many local community groups including bowls. It’s sad to see her give all this up, especially her independence. Even though she has been through a lot, she still has this incredible strength to remain positive and extremely determined. Every day Nana is fighting to become more independent. My family and I are all behind her on her road to recovery.”

Jacob’s challenge will see him set off from his local village in Dorset heading towards his neighbouring county, Hampshire, to complete the distance over three days, camping overnight in between.

Having raised close to £2,000 through sponsorship donations already, Jacob is looking forward to his challenge and hopes to raise even more: “This is about cycling 40 miles a day. The most I’ve cycled is about 25 miles so it’s going to be a good challenge. Thank you so much to everyone who has already sponsored or supported me.”

If you would like to sponsor Jacob, please visit his fundraising page please click here.