On Tuesday 20th May our CEO, Giles Lomax, will be setting off on an epic 435 mile cycle to mark forty years since the foundation of SMA UK and to raise awareness for anyone living with SMA by cycling ‘Capital to Capital’ from Edinburgh to London.

Show your support by making a donation to our 40 for 40 Campaign!

The charity was founded as The Jennifer Trust in 1985 and has been supporting individuals and families, funding research and advocating for the SMA Community ever since.  

Giles will start his journey departing from Edinburgh Castle, calling in at The Royal Hospital for Children & Young People for a brief visit before continuing south through the Scottish borders into Carlisle and concluding in Penrith.  

On day two (Wednesday 21st May), he will continue South passing East of Kendal and stopping at Lancaster for Lunch at the Boot and Shoe Pub. The journey will conclude upon reaching Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, one of the first hospitals in northern England to administer Zolgensma treatment for SMA.  

On Thursday 22nd May, Giles will cycle to where the charity has been based since it was formed forty years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon. His route will take him through Macclesfield, Congleton, and Stoke-on-Trent before stopping for lunch at Sizzling Grill in the Wildwood Shopping Centre in Stafford. In the afternoon, he will pass through Cannock and Birmingham, with a brief stop at Jennifer’s Wood , an area of Woodland which was donated by the Heart of the England forest to commemorate the story of The Jennifer Trust, before concluding the day’s journey at the SMA UK Office.  

The final leg of the journey begins by departing from Stratford-upon-Avon on Friday morning, stopping at the NIHR Clinical Research Network at Thames Valley Hospital to highlight the importance of newborn screening for SMA and recognise the impact of their recently completed NBS pilot for SMA.  Afterwards he will have lunch at The Coach and Horses in Chiselhampton before beginning the final stretch into Central London. His route will take him through Watlington, Marlow, Slough, and Kensington, passing Westminster and Big Ben. The journey will conclude at Evelina Children’s Hospital, which marks exactly four years ago to the day, where Evelina became the first hospital in the UK to administer Zolgensma.  

Over the four days, Giles will travel a total of 435 miles which represents the number of babies born with SMA in the UK since the UK rejected SMA to be added to the bloodspot programme in 2018.

If that wasn’t enough then he will be joining cyclists taking part in the annual Ride Scorpion from Great Missenden on Saturday morning. There are plenty of spaces still available and you can find out more and sign up by clicking here.

We will be publishing details of the route, as well as the main stops, and there will be a live tracker available throughout the week.  Giles will be supported by our Community Engagement Coordinator, Gary and they would welcome anyone from the SMA Community to visit them at their pit stops or even join the ride for a few miles!