Leamington doctor cycles to Paris to support children’s charity

A Leamington doctor has cycled 328 miles to help raise £46,000 for a cause close to his heart.
Jamal Abdulkarim at the end of his cycle to Paris.Jamal Abdulkarim at the end of his cycle to Paris.
Jamal Abdulkarim at the end of his cycle to Paris.

Jamal Abdulkarim, who lives in Leamington and works as a consultant radiologist at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, took part in a London to Paris cycle with a team of 30 raising funds for Action Medical Research.

The father-of-two, who also competed in the London Duathlon for the charity the week after the gruelling cycle, said: “If I had to sum the experience up in one word, that word would be ‘awesome’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“There were points when I didn’t know where I’d find the energy but then I thought about the cause and it spurred me on.”

The four-day cycle started in Blackheath in London and saw the cyclists pedal their way through the south east of the capital to Maidstone and Ashford and on to Dover, where they boarded a ferry to Dunkirk and then cycled through Cambrai and Soissons, before reaching Paris and cycling along the Champs Élysées to complete their tour under the arches of the Eiffel Tower.

“There was one point in France where one of the representatives of the mayor of Fonsomme came to greet us and said ‘I know you aren’t just tourists; you are doing this to raise money for sick kids’, while the local schoolchildren sang for us. That was just incredible.

“But the whole ride was fantastic. I had never done anything on this scale before and it was really well planned with a great group of people.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To boost his fundraising, Mr Abdulkarim and his 11-year-old daughter Sara sold 100 of Action Medical Research’s cream-teas-in-a-box during the summer - and so far he has raised more than £750.

He is hoping to be able to take part in a six-day cycle from Paris to Geneva to continue his fundraising for the charity next year.

The charity, which funds medical research into diseases that affect children, is currently funding research into meningitis, Downs syndrome, epilepsy and premature birth, as well as some rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.

People can still sponsor Mr Abdulkarim online at: Jamal Abdulkarim, who lives in Leamington and works as a consultant radiologist at the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, took part in a London to Paris cycle with a team of 30 raising funds for Action Medical Research.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The father-of-two, who also competed in the London Duathlon for the charity the week after the gruelling cycle, said: “If I had to sum the experience up in one word, that word would be ‘awesome’.

“There were points when I didn’t know where I’d find the energy but then I thought about the cause and it spurred me on.”

The four-day cycle started in Blackheath in London and saw the cyclists pedal their way through the south east of the capital to Maidstone and Ashford and on to Dover, where they boarded a ferry to Dunkirk and then cycled through Cambrai and Soissons, before reaching Paris and cycling along the Champs Élysées to complete their tour under the arches of the Eiffel Tower.

“There was one point in France where one of the representatives of the mayor of Fonsomme came to greet us and said ‘I know you aren’t just tourists; you are doing this to raise money for sick kids’, while the local schoolchildren sang for us. That was just incredible.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But the whole ride was fantastic. I had never done anything on this scale before and it was really well planned with a great group of people.”

To boost his fundraising, Mr Abdulkarim and his 11-year-old daughter Sara sold 100 of Action Medical Research’s cream-teas-in-a-box during the summer - and so far he has raised more than £750.

He is hoping to be able to take part in a six-day cycle from Paris to Geneva to continue his fundraising for the charity next year.

The charity, which funds medical research into diseases that affect children, is currently funding research into meningitis, Downs syndrome, epilepsy and premature birth, as well as some rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.

People can still sponsor Mr Abdulkarim online at: action.org.uk/sponsor/jamalcyclingtoparis

Related topics: