Julia rises to Help for Heroes challenge

Julia Maclean Smith, of Rotherfield Avenue, was inspired to fundraise for Help for Heroes and did so alongside Peter Swanson, of Dorset Road, who she met outside Tesco's when he was holding up a collection tin for the services' charity.

The pair took part in the Bridge Too Far bicycle ride which was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, when at the end of World War II, the allies threw themselves into capturing a chain of bridges along the Rhine to push Nazi forces back into Germany. They succeeded at all the bridges except Arnhem which was a German stronghold and therefore proved to be a bridge too far.

Julia's proud mum Mary Maclean sent in a report of how her daughter tackled this major challenge - both the fundraising and the physical demand of it.

She writes: "Julia has several friends who are in the services. She had heard how difficult life was for the soldiers who were injured and felt that they did not receive the acknowledgement that they should and that not enough was done bythe state to improve the quality of their lives, in spite of the fact that they were injured on hour behalf. She heard of the work of Help for Heroes and was very impressed by the fact that every single penny given in donations goes directly to helping injured service personnel.

"The story really began there and I can't begin to tell you how hard Julia worked to train for the event - with months of long cycle rides to Eastbourne, Hastings, Hailsham, Battle and beyond, and across the marshes in all weather, a couple of times a week, to increase her stamina.

"It was tough at times - and getting the resources together to equip herself for the ride and raise the money was extremely difficult...Like all who work in the caring professions, Julia's income is not great, yet she worked overtime shifts to pay for the shoes, cycling shorts, rain gear etc that she needed.

"Julia had to raise 2,200 to be able to go on the trip. In the early stages we didn't really know how to go about that and things that took a lot of effort - such as boot sales, cakes slaes, running a pub quiz - yielded relatively little money, and at one point, when she had only raised about 400, she really began to despair that she would ever make it. Then she had a day to collect money at Priory Meadow in Hastings and everything changed...the good people of Hastings donated an incredible 700 plus. Suddenly she knew that she could made it and was really grateful and moved by the spirit and generosity she found in the town - they were heroes to Julia that day."

The bike ride itself took place between September 13-19, with Julia and Peter setting off from St Pancras by Eurostar to Brussels, then cycling to Leuven, Antwerp, Eindhoven, Mijmegan, and Arnhem, clocking up as much as 80 miles a day.

Mary said: "The bike ride itself was indescribable - a life defining event. Two hundred riders from all walks of life made that ride, along with 30 frontline soldiers who had been severely injured in conflict.

"Their wake-up calls ranged from 5am to 6.30am everyday, depending on the miles to be covered. They were usually on the road by 6.30-7.30am and stopped at 6.30pm that evening, with water and lunch stops on the way. After a long day in the saddle, they'd get to their hotels, shower, eat their evening meal, and collapse into bed, fall into fairly exhausted sleeps, and be up next day to do it all again. En route, at every key milestone, the party laid wreaths to commemorate the battlefields, war graves and detention camp they passed.

"All through the trip, the cyclists supported one another, with strong cyclists holding back to make sure that any who struggled had all the support they needed to complete each day.

"Where does she go from here? Well, so powerful an experience was it that she plans to do it all again next year, either on the same ride or on the Battlefields Bike ride in June, which follows the parth of the D Day landings. Her father arrived in Holland to support her in the last days of the ride and he was so moved by the experience that he has agreed to complete that next ride with her.

"Julia still has about 250 to raise to meet that final target. If anyone wishes to donate to this excellent cause and help Julia achieve that final total of 2,200 they can do so online, where all monies go directly to provide support and resources to injured service personnel. The address is www.justgiving.com/Julia-Maclean-Smith."