Man rides motorbike for 2000 miles in freezing temperatures to raise cash for Milton Keynes mental health services

Luke covered the distance in four days
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A young man who was saved from taking his own life has raised more than £2,700 for the mental health services that helped him.

Luke Radwell, 28, last week rode his 600cc Yamaha R6 YZ6 from Milton Keynes Hospital to Land’s End in Cornwall, then to John O’Groats at the top of Scotland and back down to MK.

Despite freezing temperatures, strong winds and pouring rain, he covered 2,000 miles in just four days. Now, all proceeds from his fundraising page will be given to the Central North West London Trust (CNWL) NHS Trust, which runs mental health services in Milton Keynes.

Luke in ScotlandLuke in Scotland
Luke in Scotland

Luke, who lives in Olney, suffered from sever depression and was helped by CNWL after he attempted to take his own life in 2018.

"To this day I seek help and support through Milton Keynes mental health services, so now it is time for me to try and give back to the NHS so that they can continue to help many others like me see a light at the end of the tunnel," he said..

He started his mega ride on December 1 and completed 522miles that day. By the time he'd reached Lands End and was heading to Bristol, the wind was so strong that his bike was being blown across lanes on the A30.

On day two Luke completed 440 miles, from Bristol to Scotland - a straight run despite the cold and windy weather.

Luke arrives back at Mk hospitalLuke arrives back at Mk hospital
Luke arrives back at Mk hospital

Day three saw Luke complete 400 miles, through Scotland to reach the top at John O Groats.

"I couldn’t believe that I’d made it right from the other side of country," he said. "The whole day was wet and windy but I made it."

Coming home, Luke spent a miserable couple of hours stuck in the rain in a traffic jam on the A9 south of Perth, before finally heading back north to get shelter.

"Day four was the final push. About 460 miles from home i set off tired, run down. As soon as I set off to go with In 10 miles the snow had started to fall and forced me to pull over after 20 miles as my vision being poorly obstructed by the snow, even after constantly wiping my visor," he said.

He made it back to MK hospital in the pouring rain. "I couldn’t have been more relieved - my body was physically and mentally drained and hurting," he said.

Luke has already exceeded his target and plans to present the money to CNWL. You can view his fundraising page here.