Nurse aged 70 cycles over 330km to raise money for nursing charity

Ian Clifford, a nurse of 52 years, raised hundreds of pounds for charity Cavell – formerly the Cavell Nurses’ Trust – by cycling a distance equivalent to central London to Edinburgh over 31 days.

“I’m proud to be a nurse and to support [the] charity”

Ian Clifford

Septuagenarian Mr Clifford said he took on the challenge at the end of 2023, despite his age, to “give back” to the profession that he loves.

Cavell supports nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants across the UK who experience physical or financial hardship due to illness, disability, age, abuse or the cost of living.

“During my career I was an RCN representative, so I know how much Cavell’s support is needed and what stresses nurses are under,” Mr Clifford said. “I’m passionate about supporting the charity and its amazing work.

“The best part of my challenge was wearing the Cavell T-shirt and telling people all about the charity and, especially, its namesake, Edith Cavell, to those who have never heard of her legacy.”

Norfolk-born nurse Edith Cavell rose to prominence in the early-1900s by becoming the first matron of L’École Belge d’Infirmières Diplômées’, Belgium’s first nursing school.

She subsequently trained nurses across three hospitals and 24 schools in Belgium. When the First World War broke out and Germany occupied Brussels, Ms Cavell had been in England on holiday.

She returned to Belgium and cared for, and hid, wounded British, French and Belgium soldiers as well as civilians, and helped them escape to safety in the Netherlands.

She was arrested by the German police in August 1915, after being betrayed by a collaborator. She was executed on 12 October 1915 at the age of 49, sparking outrage in the British media at the time.

Two years after her death, a huge public fundraiser in Ms Cavell’s memory generated £12,500 (around £715,000 in today’s money) to form the Nation’s Fund for Nurses.

The fund was aimed at helping nurses who were “shattered mentally and physically” and who “sought the health of others at the expense of their own” after the First World War.

This pot of money was later renamed the Cavell Nurse’s Trust and today continues to exist as the charity Cavell, offering support packages, advice, signposting and emergency funding to nursing and midwifery staff in need.

“It feels great to raise money for this purpose, and I’m very thankful to my amazing sponsors, family and friends who kept me going and applauded me for the effort,” Mr Clifford said.

“The cycling gave me time to reflect and soak up the beautiful sights and sounds of the countryside – something that I think we should all make time for,” he said.

“I found it very therapeutic and contemplative to explore different local routes along quiet lanes, and I saw a lot of wildlife and the seasons changing, it was lovely.”

Mr Clifford, who also raised money for Cavell in 2022 through a sponsored cycle, added: “The biggest setback I had during the challenge was falling horribly ill in the middle of October.

“This meant that I had to push my event to November, which was a busier month for me already. However, I stuck with it and if I missed a day of cycling due to work commitments, I just doubled my 10k the follow day.”

Mr Clifford said he has been long-distance cycling for years, but that doing it for charity makes him “even more driven”.

“To anyone thinking about doing a fundraising challenge for Cavell, my only advice would be to think big and embrace the Cavell mission to motivate you,” he said.

“I’m proud to be a nurse and to support [the] charity. It means a lot to me knowing that there is an organisation supporting those who are facing tough times in their lives as it could happen to any of us.”