A TERMINALLY ill woman was brought from her home 450 miles away to live her last days in St Margaret's Hospice, close to her family.

Greg Schofield is donning his Lycra and heading north to cycle from John o'Groats to Land's End in a bid to raise £1,000 sponsorship for the hospice as a thank you for the care it gave his mother, Gina.

Mr Schofield, 47, described his mother, who lived in a tiny village in Scotland, as a "tough but loving" woman who did not visit her GP until it was too late.

He said: "Being up in Scotland made supporting her through this really difficult as my family and I live 450 miles away in Somerset.

"This is where St Margaret's came to the rescue. It is less than 10 miles from our home and agreed to take my mum and give her the complicated care she needed.

"I can't begin to explain how much this meant to us. My mum got to spend the last few weeks of her life with her family around her.

"She got to spend time with our nine-year-old daughter, my wife and I could visit at any time of the day or night and the staff supported us all with care, compassion, understanding, and patience."

Mr Schofield, who has been training hard for months, will be supported on the ride early next month by his wife, Laura, a teacher at Queen's College, Taunton, and their daughter, who attends the school.

He added: "I'd also like to mention my next door neighbour Malcolm.

"St Margaret's helped care for him a few years ago too. He was a lovely man, always positive and cheerful. I am really grateful they helped him during his long illness.

"I will be thinking about him too as I cover the miles."

You can sponsor Greg Schofield on Just Giving by clicking here.