Dan Pond from Loughton Fire Station and I are doing the Chiltern 50km Ultra challenge on the 27th September 2025 in support of the Firefighters charity, who provide life-long care and support for the UK’s fire family, and to fund the purchase and installation of publicly accessible defibrillators outside fire stations in Essex.

In August 2024, my beloved fiancée Nicola Bacon experienced an out-of-hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), but despite my best efforts sadly passed away. Fast forward eight weeks, and I myself experienced an out-of-hospital SCA whilst cycling, but clearly with a different outcome. I have therefore dedicated my life going forward to educating the public on the need to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the importance of early intervention and the use of a defibrillator in significantly affecting the outcome. Currently in the UK, less than 1 in 10 people who experience an out-of-hospital SCA survive.

I have so far personally funded the purchase and installation of nine defibrillators, all dedicated to Nicola, to be installed outside fire stations in Essex for community use. However, I feel that fundraising and publicity will hopefully increase this number in the future.