Young Ollie completes 100-mile challenge and raises thousands for cancer research

He was the little boy with a big challenge to complete – but Ollie Jamieson has finished his epic cycle adventure in fine style.

The six-year-old set himself the arduous task of cycling 100 miles before reaching his seventh birthday in September – and on Sunday he was welcomed by friends and family who cheered him on as he crossed the finish line.

But there was more to celebrate than just reaching the end of his cycle.

When he started his challenge in February, Ollie had faced the target of raising £2,000 in aid of Cancer Research UK (CRUK). But by the end of his run Ollie’s Just Giving page had attracted almost £3,500 in donations – with funds even coming in from Australia.

By early Tuesday the running tally had crept up to £3,700 – so there may be no telling in just how much cash he will have raised to help find a cure for cancer.

He chose CRUK as his favoured charity after his granddad, George Nisbet, died in April 2014 from cancer. He was 57.

Mum Debbie said she and her husband, Steven, were “very proud”. Ollie had set in his heart the notion of donating cash to CRUK because he did not want anybody’s granddad to die.

“It’s not even the quantity of money for us. That’s the generosity of the folk. We’re proud of how he has conducted himself throughout the whole thing. He always said ‘thank you’, and just wanted to do it.”

A finish line was set up at the pier at Leebitton, giving Ollie a real sense of achievement as he reached the end of his mammoth fundraiser.

“He was beaming from lug to lug when he was cycling up to us.”

It took The Shetland Times a couple of attempts to catch up with Ollie. On Monday he was out on his bike again, enjoying the chance to go for a spin without having to cover huge distances. Then on Tuesday he went for a well-deserved visit to the cinema.

But after getting home he was happy to talk about his experience and said it was memorable seeing crowds of people “cheering and throwing party-poppers” when he came up to the finish line on Sunday.

• Full story in this week’s Shetland Times.