Going the extra Mile

LE2DOV

• Who: Miriam Simmons

• What: Cycling SOLO from Lands End to Dover, travelling right across southern England; a total of approximately 800km/ 500 miles.

• When: 18th August 2025

• How: I’ll be bike-packing, wild camping, youth hostelling & staying the odd night with friends enroute.

• Why: To help raise money for Bright Shadow , a Kent based Dementia charity. My father had dementia and his care was quite poor, which was sad to witness. He was my go-to when I had any problem and he never judged me; he just listened and gave support or advice. Watching his slow decline to this invisible disease was hard. After he died, I vowed to myself, to help a Dementia charity if the opportunity arose, as dementia care is so important and often misunderstood.

Bright Shadow is an arts-based charity, located in East Kent, and does wonders for participants living with dementia by embracing creativity in innovative ways.

1. I want to challenge myself, mentally and physically to reboot my self-confidence, to make me stronger and more resilient. I had a couple of mental blows this year that took its toll on me and really shook me up which affected my self-confidence. I noticed I was internalising my feelings which wasn’t helping. This adventure will give me time to reset, reflect and reboot.

2. I’m 60 years old next year and support pro aging. I want to inspire others to do mini adventures whenever they can. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone, however scary, is a way to make us more resilient. These simple acts, however big or small can help bring focus and provide a sense of purpose in life that expands our horizons. Keeping healthy and active is also great for preventing some forms of Dementia.

I’d love to raise at least £800; the number of kilometres I will be covering (although it could me more miles as I’m great at getting lost! )

Please help me make my trip a success my donating and sharing my story. Dementia touches all of our lives and I hope to help raise more awareness with my cycling endeavours.

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I'm raising money in aid of BRIGHT SHADOW and every donation, however small, will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Click here for more details on Bright Shadow