Doctor with MS completes 1,100 mile charity trike ride

A hospital consultant with multiple sclerosis has said she wanted to show that “adventures are still possible” after completing a 1,100-mile (1,770km) trike ride.

Dr Jacquie Smithson, from Hull, rode from Land’s End to John O’Groats with her wife Prof Sarah Jones and best friend Adrian.

They raised more than £10,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.

Dr Smithson, a gastroenterologist at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “I think there are times in your life when you feel that the walls are perhaps closing in and that your options disappear.

“But I wanted to prove that wasn’t the case.”

She said she had always been a keen adventurer, but lost her balance after a relapse in 2021. Discovering a trike inspired her latest challenge.

“It’s just amazing. It’s given me independence to access the countryside in a way that I have not been able to do since my relapse,” she added.

The trio set off on 2 September and finished on Wednesday.

They were joined at one point by Dr Smithson’s seven-year-old neighbour, Will, and his dad, who cycled 26 miles with them and raised £622.

Dr Smithson said there were many highlights of the trip and thanked those who supported her.

“I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported us, friends, family, people we’ve never met, people who shared their stories, people who handed us money through the journey.

“You may have to make some adaptations, but with perseverance and the support of loved ones, adventures are still possible.”

The funds raised will go to the MS Society, which supports people affected by multiple sclerosis and funds research into the condition.