Big-hearted nephew to finish epic 400-mile bike ride in Milton Keynes in memory of uncle

Jack Jensen has given himself until the end of the month to cover a huge 400 miles on his bike for a charity close to his heart.

Originally from Milton Keynes, Jack was inspired during the coronavirus lockdown to raise funds in memory of his uncle, who died of meningitis before he was born.

Now living in the Cotswolds, the 23 year old plans to finish the epic bike ride at his family's home in Little Crawley on Saturday - and he's already raised more than £2,000 for Meningitis Now, despite only having a target of £400.

He said: “To our family, meningitis was never a concern until January 1989. My uncle suddenly became ill at 15 years old. As the youngest of five and the only male offspring, his death from meningitis hit the family hard.

"Every family gathering - and that’s a lot - we remember him, so even though I never met him he has played a big part in my life. Whilst I know how my uncle died, I realised how unspoken it was as a disease, as it is now immunised against."

Jack, who started the 400-bike ride on Monday, August 31, has even appeared on the true legends feature on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

He said: “My whole family, including my grandparents, are incredibly supportive so I’ve been updating on a daily basis through the Strava app, recalling the highs as well as the lows.

"Unfortunately, the regulations around social distancing at the moment mean we can’t all get together as a family on my final ride, but we’ll be live-streaming via Facebook for everyone to cheer me over the line as I complete the charity cycle challenge."

You can follow Jack’s fundraising progress on GoFundMe here