Royal Navy Marine, Mark Roberts (43) has completed what for most is the ultimate challenge. Earlier this year, Mark set himself the – some might say – super-human goal of cycling from Joan O’Groats to Land End,and throwing in the UK’s highest mountains – hiking Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. For most adventure seekers it would be one or the other but for Mark it was the entire challenge and not satisfied with that, he set himself the goal of completing this in 10 days and named it jogle3peaks.
Mark, a Scottish marine based in Portsmouth, is no stranger to adventure and, some might say, danger. But this was the ultimate challenge even for him. When Mark set his sights on this at the beginning of the year, he was taking part with his partner and his hero, Claire and they were to be joined by her son, Stanley (12) along the way. Having begun the training, Mark experienced the most tragic loss. His partner Claire very tragically died leaving all those who knew her deeply shocked and saddened. For Mark, the challenge grew momentum through grief, and it felt that each mile cycled, and each step climbed Claire was very much in the forefront of everyone’s mind – their memories of an incredible woman sustaining them through every moment of each day.
Mark said “The loss of Claire is monumental – so huge it seemed to dwarf the jogle3peaks itself. I knew immediately that I wanted to continue in her memory as Claire was an instrumental part of us setting the bar so high on this challenge. I couldn’t let her down and so I was driven forward to complete this cheeky wee fundraiser in memory of Claire. It was an honour that her son Stanley cycled 10 miles every morning for 4 days and his resilience, courage and his banter kept me energised along the way. What a strong, caring and incredible young man he is”.
Mark has so far raised over £10,000 for three wonderful charities, rallying support from so many of his friends and family, and also Claire’s. Mark and Claire had chosen to support Maggie’s as a much-loved aunt of his was, then, being supported by the cancer specialists in the Maggie’s Centre in Glasgow. Sadly, Mark’s aunt passed away during his training, but she was delighted to have known he’d chosen Maggie’s. Mark, himself, has been supported by the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity and wanted to pay back from the help he has had. The third charity to benefit is Who Dares Cares as they support the Armed Forces and Blue Light Services – Claire was herself in the police service for many years.
Maggie’s Glasgow, based in the grounds of The Beatson Cancer Centre, sees up to 120 visitors a day from across the West of Scotland and provides free, practical, psychological, and social support for people with cancer and their families.
Kerry Craig, Centre Head at Maggie’s Glasgow said:
“We were absolutely thrilled by this incredible fundraiser from Mark and Stanley, and those joining their challenge. Their bravery and determination certainly show that not all superheroes wear capes, and their incredible fundraising will help us continue to offer the professional face-to-face support to people with cancer and those who love them.”
If you would like to donate in support of this incredible fundraiser, please go to: https://givewheel.com/fundraising/7161/jogle3peaks/
Since Maggie’s opened its first centre in 1996, the charity has developed a programme of support that is proven to help people with cancer, as well as family and friends, take back control.
Maggie’s expert staff include psychologists, cancer support specialists and benefits advisors and the majority of funding comes from voluntary donations.
To find out more about Maggie’s Glasgow please visit the centre at Gartnavel General Hospital, 1053 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0YN or get in touch on 0141 357 2269 OR glasgow@maggies.org
To find out more about fundraising for Maggie’s Glasgow contact the centre on 0141 330 9792 or visit www.maggies.org
