At the beginning of August 2025 the Mad Hatter of Chester set out to raise £499 by cycling 274 miles in the month for Brain Tumour Research (the cost of a day’s research in one of the charity’s research centres of excellence is £2,740).

The Mad Hatter wants to do much, much, more and to reach for the stars because those children and young people who are diagnosed with brain tumours need the dial to shift quickly and for there to be a step change in treatments and, much sooner than later, cures for this type of cancer that can’t be prevented.

So, soon after the challenge began, the Mad Hatter set a new fundraising target of £1,000,100, a sum that will pay for a whole year of the greatest minds to research brain tumours (£2,740 x 365).

That is completely bonkers, and in return the Mad Hatter committed to cycle an equally crazy 874 miles in total in the month of August - more than three times the 274 miles target and which represents the distance by road from John o’ Groats to Lands End.

He completed the mileage target with a day to spare but fell well short of the fundraising target and so decided to move the goal posts again.

With the continuing support of the ever growing Mad Hatter Collective, the Maddest of Hatters now intends to carry on cycling - without any distance limit - for however long it takes -whether days (preferably), weeks, months or years - to raise the magic sum of £1,000,100, because there is nothing finer than people coming together to make things better.

He hopes not to become a mad martyr, a Forrest Gump on wheels, circling right round baby right round, like a record baby, on his well-cycled Mad Hatter Loop.

But the only thing that will free him from a fate of endless pedalling will be the continued open-heartedness and goodwill of friends and strangers.

Over to you, Mad Hatter Collective, with some final words to inspire all you lovely people:

“You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are….” - Lewis C

“Here’s to the fools who dream, crazy as they may seem…” - Emma S (sung, with feeling)

“We could be heroes, for the whole of one year.” (with apologies to David B)

“Nothing is impossible, only importantly possible.” - Mr. A.D Hat-ter.

The end (of the beginning).

#AMillionForTheMadHatter

#MadChester