Top lawyer cycles 285 miles in a day to raise money for a diabetes charity

A top lawyer has cycled 285 miles in a day to raise money for a diabetes charity, inspired by his friend’s young son who has the illness.

Paul Monaghan cycled from Inverness to Gosforth last Friday to raise vital funds for JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Foundation).

Paul, the Head of Insolvency and Corporate Recovery at Newcastle law firm Sintons, became aware of JDRF through fellow cyclist Gordon Ferguson, whose six-year-old son Ben has type 1 diabetes and is an active fundraiser for the charity.

The lawyer had already decided to embark on the extreme cycling trek after accepting the challenge from friends, but chose to fundraise for JDRF after being inspired by little Ben.

Paul – who underwent a 19-week intensive training programme for the challenge and was trained by renowned trainer Phil Gray from Total Racing International – said: “Myself and a group of friends always do the Coast to Castles bike ride – which is 180 miles over three days – and last year, Ben came along at the start to collect some money in his bucket for JDRF. He had done really well with his fundraising, but I wanted to do something to help him out and add a few more pounds to what he had in there.

“I love an extreme challenge, and had already decided to cycle from Inverness to Gosforth to prove a point to some friends, who said cycling that kind of distance in 24 hours couldn’t be done – so after seeing Ben’s determination and commitment to raising money, I decided I wanted to use my bike ride to fundraise for JDRF too.”

Sintons has given Paul its financial backing by making a donation to his challenge alongside many other donations.

To make a donation, visit here.