Knaresborough father and daughter raise over £2,000 for charity after completing epic cycling challenge

Martin and Jasmine cycled the 1019 mile long route from Lands End to John O’Groats which took them 14 days to complete.

The pair have been overwhelmed by the kindness of friends, family, neighbours and even complete strangers who sent messages of support throughout their ride and say this really helped them to keep pedalling when the going got tough.

Jasmine and Martin had completed several long rides during their training but never for 14 consecutive days, so it was unknown whether they would make the distance.

They battled through extreme heat, torrential downpours and strong winds during their journey but that didn't stop them from reaching the finish line.

On completing the challenge, Martin said: "Seeing all the donations and messages on the JustGiving page really helped us to keep going and to raise over £2000 is beyond what we had hoped to achieve.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has got behind us."

Jasmine, 16, a student a King James’s School, added: "Some sections were really tough although we got to see parts of the United Kingdom we had never visited before which was great.

"Some of my favourite days were in Scotland riding alongside Loch Ness and into the Highlands.

"Although times are hard at the moment, people have been very generous and some donations were even made by complete strangers who we met along the way; this always made our day."

Last year, Jasmine’s grandad Barry Morton, suffered a heart attack and thanks to the brilliant care and expertise of the staff at the Leeds General Infirmary and Harrogate Hospital, he made a full recovery and is now fitter than ever.

Mr Morton said: “It’s due to the fantastic work of the British Heart Foundation and the brilliant cardiac team at Leeds General Infirmary that I am lucky enough to be enjoying life and spending time with my family.”

Leya Baksh, Fundraising Manager at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We are so grateful to Jasmine and Martin for taking on this incredibly tough challenge to support our work.

"They have raised a fantastic amount of money which will be used to continue our life saving research.

"In the 1960s, more than seven out of ten heart attacks in the United Kingdom were fatal.

"Today, thanks to breakthroughs we helped to fund, at least seven out of ten people survive and can go home to their families.

"Despite these successes there is still so much more to be done.

"It is only with the support of people like Jasmine and Martin that our scientists can keep working and try to discover the treatments and cures of the future.”

There is still plenty of time to support the British Heart Foundation via Martin and Jasmine’s JustGiving page.

If you would like to make a donation, no matter how big or small, head to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martinandjasmine-lejog-2022