Woman takes part in Dementia charity cycle in memory of much-loved Shirebrook mum

After her mum’s death on April 14, Catherine was advised to go into isolation, but dealing with her grief in extraordinary circumstances left the 45-year-old with severe anxiety alongside the trauma of her loss, leaving her afraid of being around people.

Catherine decided to set herself a target of cycling 250 miles for charity, knowing that the challenge would give her something to focus on each day and would improve her mental health.

Catherine explained her delight at smashing her goal and raising almost £1,000 in the process: “I really struggled after losing my mum – she had battled dementia for a couple of years, so I knew I needed to do something for the Alzheimer’s Society in her memory.

“I’m a keyworker in a local school so it was hard fitting it in, and because I had become scared of being around people, it made cycling in public harder, but I persevered and ended up smashing my goals.”

Despite her mum’s funeral taking place half way through her challenge, Catherine pushed herself past her target and managed to cycle an impressive 511 miles over the 30 days.

Each bike ride was tracked by Strava, as Catherine visited various cycle tracks in the region to rack up the miles.

Catherine’s JustGiving page is still active – if you would like to donate, you can do so here.

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