Cancer survivor to cycle from London to Amsterdam for charity on 65th birthday

A cancer survivor who lives near Wallingford is set to cycle from London to Amsterdam on his 65th birthday next month.

Simon Lord is aiming to complete the journey within 24 hours, starting from Trafalgar Square as Big Ben strikes midnight on July 17.

The route will see him take the ferry from Dover to Calais, travel through Northern France and Belgium, and then arrive in the Dutch capital.

Mr Lord was diagnosed with prostate cancer 14 years ago and in the time since his successful surgery he has trained, and is now working as, a specialist personal trainer with an additional qualification in cancer rehabilitation.

He has committed to raising funds for two charities - The Urology Foundation and MOVE Charity.

The former is a small organisation that supports research and training in the field of urology while the latter supports exercise for cancer patients to assist them with recovery from the effects of treatments.

The father-of-three who works part-time at Tesco has been campaigning for greater awareness of prostate cancer since his treatment.

He has also talked extensively about the need for more clinical nurse specialists in urology and for them to be funded to increase their knowledge and skills to better support the larger numbers of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In the UK, an average of 52,000 men a year are diagnosed with prostate cancer, with about 12,000 dying from the disease.

He is hoping to highlight both the benefits of exercise for cancer patients and the work that clinical nurse specialists do to support cancer patients, particularly in urology where their caseloads are often much higher than for other cancers.

To prepare for the long ride, he has already clocked up more than 2,500 miles on his bike since the start of the year.

He has ridden up to 160 miles in a day to ensure that he has the endurance to deal with the 275 mile route.

Netty Kinsella, nurse consultant at The RoyaI Marsden, London, said: "I had the privilege of meeting Simon as his nurse specialist.

"After powering through rehab he has gone on to support and inspire people living with and after cancer for over a decade.

"He has proved a passionate ambassador for improving cancer services for patients both locally and nationally, working tirelessly with charities to campaign for more specialist nurse posts and to provide funding for educational opportunities for healthcare professionals working in cancer care.

"Beyond this he has made an impressive personal journey to train as a cancer rehab specialist to empower other cancer survivors to live their best lives."