A Nailsea man has completed more than 120 miles on foot in memory of his mum, just months after she died from cancer, raising more than £6,000 for Cancer Research UK.

John Mason, aged 46, took on the gruelling challenge from Tottenham in north London to his family home in Nailsea, North Somerset.

The route went from outside the house where his mum Ann was born – in the shadow of Tottenham Hotspur’s ground - to her home on Ash Hayes Drive.

Ann sadly died at Christmas 2025 following a very short battle with cancer. She had primary bowel cancer which had metastasised to her liver and spine, with just six weeks between her first symptoms and her death, and only three weeks between her diagnosis and passing.

Ann had raised money for Cancer Research UK herself during her lifetime, so John decided to continue her fundraising efforts by taking on what he described as his hardest challenge yet.

The original plan was to cover around 156 miles over three days - the equivalent of running two marathons every day.

John, who is an aeronautical engineer at Rolls-Royce, completed all of the miles, with around 120 miles covered on foot.

Injuries, including severely swollen Achilles tendons, meant he had to cycle some sections of the final two days, but he was determined to complete the full distance.

He was supported throughout by family and friends.

His wife Rachel, and her parents, Rose and Richard Lancaster, formed the support crew, following him along the route and meeting him roughly every 10km to provide food, drinks and refuelling.

His dad, Rob, travelled to Tottenham for the start, while his sister Helen Donald ran and cycled alongside him on the first day.

John and Rachel's children, Izzy, 17, and Will, 14, also took on a huge part of the challenge themselves, each running almost a marathon over the three days in memory of their beloved Nanny.

Friends and work colleagues Alasdair Gerrard and Chris Rew both supported John, with Alasdair running around 30km with John on the second day, which began in Reading, while Chris cycled with John on day two, starting just outside Bath while friend Chris Rock joined from Bath to Bristol.

The route followed canals and rivers for much of the journey, providing beautiful scenery but also proving physically demanding.

John began feeling sick during the second half of the first day, making fuelling difficult, while the following two days brought increasingly painful Achilles injuries.

The final 10 miles from Bristol to Nailsea was completed with Izzy, Will and John’ brother Steve Mason, and then for the last five miles or so, there was a reappearance from Alisdair and Chris (Rock) as well as pals Libby Hill and Leanne Lewis.

The group were greeted by around 50 friends and family waiting at the finish – his family home in Nailsea - as a surprise for John.

John, who has completed a number of tough challenges over the years to raise money for charity, including more than 30 marathons, an Ironman, a 100km race and cycling from John o Groats to Land’s End.

He said: “This was the hardest thing I have ever done, by a very long way.

"There were points when I genuinely wondered how I was going to carry on, but I was determined to finish every mile.

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone else does this to themselves!

"But knowing that Mum had raised money for Cancer Research UK made it particularly important to me to keep going.

“We lost her incredibly quickly and it has been devastating for all of us, so if doing something completely ridiculous can help raise money for research and hopefully prevent other families going through what we have, then it was worth every painful mile.”

After completing the challenge, John described the aftermath as his body going into 'total shutdown', leaving him shaking and barely able to speak before eventually recovering with a cup of tea.

The fundraising total currently stands at £6,282 – his target was originally £2,000! 

John added: “I’m completely blown away by the support, and the amount people have donated.

"What started as me doing something silly in Mum’s memory became a massive team effort, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me get home.”

To donate please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/home2home4mum