Sam Clarke approached Alport UK in 2018 with a tantalising proposal that we simply couldn’t ignore. He wanted to travel around Europe by himself, cycling 6,000 miles on his bicycle and documenting the entire adventure on social media to raise £23,500 for Alport UK. His intention was to raise awareness of Alport Syndrome as well as help others who suffer from it, just like himself.
He set out in May 2019, and spent the next 10 months on the road, cycling from his home in Henley-on-Thames to jump on the ferry from Dover to Calais. He then cycled through France, Belgium and the Netherlands, across Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, then South through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, before entering Albania. He made it as far as the border into Kosovo in March 2020, but was denied entry because of the Covid-19 outbreak. This put an abrupt end to his epic journey and he was told by authorities that he could go no further.
So, he flew home to England, and planned another, smaller (but no less impressive!) trip from Lands End to John O’Groats. Now an accomplished adventurer, Sam completed this trip from the southern tip of England right up to the top of Scotland in the summer of 2020, marking the end to his glorious challenge.
Alport UK was proud to sponsor Sam on his adventure, and we provided Sam with a flight, accommodation, and a blood pressure monitor.
Sam is a professional filmmaker, and he documented the whole adventure on his social media. He is currently producing a YouTube series, which you can see right now. New episodes are released on his channel Adventure Man Sam every Wednesday. Watch it here, and be sure to subscribe to support his efforts!
For more information about Sam’s inspiring challenge, visit fightingfailurechallenge.com.
Here are a few other stories from the Don’t Wait Fund.