This weekend, Friday 15 and Saturday 16 August, Sam will cycle 415km (257 miles) from Beckenham, Southeast London, to New Polzeath, Cornwall in an epic challenge from which he hopes to raise £15,000 for Momentum.

Six-year-old Isla Bell, the daughter of Sam’s best friend, was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) in March last year. Isla is now over halfway through her cancer treatment, which she is due to complete in April 2026.

The Bell family have been receiving support from Momentum, a charity that supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition.

Talking about Isla, Sam said: “Isla is always happy, she is full of energy, inquisitive and is very sociable. I am very close to her, and she is going to be a flower girl at my wedding later this year. Isla and her family were at my house the day before they received her cancer diagnosis. Isla’s mum and dad have been amazing – you see the strength in people when things like this happen.”

Talking about his challenge, Sam said: “This ride is very close to my heart. Since Isla’s diagnosis, Momentum has been by her side, providing vital care and support through multiple rounds of treatment. Seeing the difference they have made for Isla and her family has inspired me to take on this challenge. This isn’t my first attempt – almost 10 years ago, I tried this ride and failed. But challenges are a part of life. I want to show Isla, and anyone else facing obstacles, that even if we don’t overcome them the first time, we keep going until we do.”

Sam’s challenge will see him cycle up to 10 hours a day. For the past five months, he’s followed a rigorous training regime – even traveling to Majorca to focus on tough incline sessions in preparation. He is hoping to be joined by his father-in-law and some friends for part of the ride.

Isla’s mum, Sarah Bell, from Surrey, said: “It is unbelievable what Sam is doing, and we feel immensely proud and overwhelmed.  Sam has a special bond with Isla, and she recently joined him during one of his training sessions – it was lovely to see them out on the bikes having fun together.”

Touching on the support Momentum have given her family, Sarah Bell said: “Momentum have been amazing. They arranged counselling sessions for me and my husband which have really helped.  We have stayed at Momentum’s respite cabin and are going on their riverboat this summer too. Whenever we are in hospital with Isla, our Family Support Worker will check in with us and she is always in touch by phone too.”

Please help Sam reach his £15,000 fundraising target by visiting his sponsorship page here

Follow Sam during his challenge by using this live tracker:  Ride4Isla – London to Cornwall / 15–16 Aug | Track-Trail-Live

To find out more about the work of Momentum Children’s Charity, please visit www.momentumcharity.org

Notes to Editors:

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home. Our services include counselling, creative therapies, special experiences, and respite breaks. If the unthinkable happens, and a child dies, we offer specialist bereavement support. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant entirely on voluntary support. 

Founded in 2004, Momentum Children’s Charity was started when Bianca Effemey OBE was working as a receptionist on the Paediatrics Ward at Kingston Hospital. Side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be very painful, and she became aware of the impact they were having on young cancer patients. It became her mission to get white goods donated to the hospital which could be kept full of refreshments, providing some relief to children suffering with mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy. Momentum has grown from a very small charity to now supporting over 2,500 individuals across 688 families in 2024/25. This includes 502 families with children in active treatment and 186 bereaved families.

If you are interested in learning more about the work Momentum does, seeing the roles they are currently recruiting for or would like to get involved by attending an event, volunteering or making a donation please visit www.momentumcharity.org

www.momentumcharity.org Registered charity number: 1195373

For more information about Momentum and future press opportunities, please contact:  Claire Smith, PR and Communications Officer: clairesmith@momentumcharity.org  /  0208 974 5931