Over £5k raised for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital with 600-mile Paris bike ride

There’s going the extra mile and then there’s Mark Clough’s remarkable bike ride to Paris.

In September, Mark took on a gruelling six day, 600-mile cycle ride from Worsley in Manchester to Paris, raising money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) on behalf of the Ace Grace Foundation.

The Ace Grace Foundation is a charitable foundation set up by John and Caroline Jones in memory of their late daughter, Gracie, who was treated for Rhabdomyosarcoma (a rare form of soft tissue cancer) at RMCH. Gracie underwent three and a half years of treatment at RMCH on Ward 84.

Gracie sadly passed away on 20 June 2017 and to keep her memory alive, John and Caroline have been raising money ever since for RMCH. To date, the foundation has raised over £118,000 for RMCH, supporting life-changing projects across the hospital. Past fundraising events have included golf days, quizzes and entertainment nights.

Hoping to add to the Ace Grace Foundation tally, Mark organised the Paris cycle challenge himself, backed by an army of supporters and sponsors. Caroline completed two days of cycling alongside Mark, with John close behind in the support vehicle. Mark then cycled solo for the rest of the way with other friends taking over the support vehicle duties.

Mark’s ride was made possible by a host of committed supporters, with him eloquently introducing and thanking each of the businesses on Linkedin as part of his daily updates. Cycle, eat, sleep, Linkedin, repeat.

Businesses from across the country and abroad kindly supported the ride in a variety of ways, helping with accommodation, vehicle hire, equipment and sustenance, as well as donating to his fundraising, offering donation incentives and raising awareness of his challenge.

The gruelling ride took Mark up and down hills, along country tracks (with the odd cow to navigate along the way) and through a variety of challenging weather conditions, with friends along the route coming out in support. His route began at the Boundary Stone Pub in Worsley, taking him onwards through Cannock, Brackley, Bracknell, Newhaven, Dieppe, Beauvais and finally, Paris.

Miraculously, his first puncture didn’t strike until day 4.

For Mark, who takes beta-blockers and other associated medication for a previous heart condition, the ride was challenging and difficult at times, with saddle pains and a swollen ankle a constant menace throughout. Despite this, his fundraising cause was a guiding motivation that helped him to put discomfort aside and arrive triumphantly into Paris, with his remarkable journey raising a total of £5890.

A fundraising effort made even more special by Mark’s ability to unite people in support of a special cause.

Mark said:

“It was a real privilege to raise money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital on behalf of the inspirational Ace Grace Foundation. The trip was a gruelling and painful experience at times but reminding myself who I was fundraising for was powerful motivation for carrying on. Thank you so much to everyone that sponsored, supported and helped to make the ride possible.”

John and Caroline said:

“We’re extremely grateful to Mark for his gruelling bike ride to Paris on behalf of Ace Grace Foundation. It was a pleasure playing a small part in this trip with Mark and we thank him for pushing through the pain and raising crucial funds for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. A special thanks also to everyone that sponsored Mark and supported his fundraising. It means a lot and we’re sure it will make a difference to many children and young people at the hospital.”