Well, I’ve always been a cyclist, I’ve ridden for over forty years. Most of that was track racing at the velodrome, preparing for specific events throughout the year. Because of that, I missed out on a lot of the things my clubmates were doing. So I always had it in the back of my mind that when I retired, I’d do something different. I’ve seen other people I know cycle around the world, and reading their stories was incredibly inspirational. Rather than doing something smaller, like a three-month tour, I decided: why not go around the world?

I grew up in North Kensington. I used to walk down Golborne Road, up Portobello, past North Kensington Station, crossing Ladbroke Grove into St. Charles Square, that’s where I went to school. Someone I went to school with died in the fire. My cohort and I were hit hard by that.

I also led the Green Watch in North Kensington during the last four years of my career in the fire service. But more than that, I’m part of the community, a lot of my friends either witnessed the fire or were directly affected by it. I wanted to do something for them, particularly for the next generation. The tragedy still weighs heavily on the area. Some of the kids weren’t even born when the fire happened, but the tower is still there. It looms over them, a constant reminder.

So I’m raising money for youth projects in the area. The goal is £30,000, a pound for every kilometre I’ll ride. I’ve already raised £7,000 and haven’t turned a pedal yet, so I’m committed to riding at least that far.

For me, it’s about giving something back after retirement. The Grenfell fire was devastating, 72 people died. If you’d told me as a kid that something like that would happen in our neighbourhood, I wouldn’t have believed you. I lived in a council house. My friend Ernie, who died in the fire, lived in a council house too. The only difference? He was allocated to Grenfell, and I wasn’t.

There’s still been no justice, no convictions. I leave on the 8th anniversary of the fire. There’ve been 102 recommendations and not one conviction. I’ll be riding around the world at a snail’s pace and I’ll be back six months before the 10th anniversary, and still, likely, no justice.

That’s why I’m riding from fire station to fire station, to keep Grenfell in the public eye. But it’s also about the bigger picture: the two-tier system, corporate cover-ups, legal stonewalling. Hillsborough, the contaminated blood scandal, the Post Office – all examples of people being let down.

There’s supposed to be a Hillsborough Law coming, but it’s been watered down so much the victims’ families don’t even support it anymore. We have to keep the pressure on.

I ride for Twickenham CC and we use Le Col custom kit. It’s comfortable, durable, we all rate it. I reached out to Le Col and they supported the idea. The ARC range is perfect. The weather’s been great in the UK lately, the long sleeve merino has protected me from the sun and kept me cool at the same time. I’ve worn it every ride so far, zero complaints.

It’s been overwhelmingly positive, but I think people project their own fears, asking, “Why would you do this?” But my close friends have been amazing. They’re coming to my Grand Départ, they’ve sponsored me, asked loads of questions, we even went for a farewell drink.

My three kids are all grown up, they’re excited for me. My partner is understandably worried, 18 months is a long time. But she’ll visit me along the route. She’s more concerned about my safety than anything else. Overall, the support has been fantastic. I’ve already raised £7,000 and haven’t even started yet.

Loads. One that stands out: I did a mini-tour from Cardiff to Holyhead. In Caernarfon, I stopped to take a photo of the castle. An older man on a bike came over, we chatted briefly, no social media or anything. But he remembered my name, found my JustGiving page later, and donated £20. That meant a lot.

The Grenfell Foundation has been incredibly helpful. A local girl designed my logo, and her school named my bike Justice Express. I had stickers made. Specialized gifted me the bike. Tailfin gave me panniers. Wahoo gave me the computer. Le Col, Madison, Vittoria, Knog, Profile Design, all contributed. A production company even gave me an Insta360 camera to document the trip. It’s all been so humbling.