In 1998, Matt Hughes saw a TV programme about Aspire which prompted him to do something to help, so in January 1999 he successfully took on the Kenya Corkscrew Challenge, raising an amazing £2,500.  The “corkscrew” ascent of Mount Kenya takes in the eastern lakes and both heath and rainforest belts, passing icecaps on the equator and encountering animals and birds in their natural habitats.  At the time Matt was 20 and turning 21 in February, so his parents added on a walking safari as a 21st birthday present - an experience he never forgot.

Sadly, in 2004, Matt had a fatal accident but his parents, Rose and Peter, decided to continue to support Aspire in his memory.  Rose started to pot perennial plants in their garden, which Matt as a landscape gardener had helped create.  She sells them at local village fetes, in particular at the Sydenham Fayre which takes place on the first Saturday in June every year, as Matt spent a great deal of his youth in Sydenham.

Peter decided to refurbish Matt's mountain bike, the one on which Matt completed the London to Brighton bike ride, and took on the ride himself with Matt's best friend Ryan to raise funds for Aspire, and in 2012, at the age of 69, Peter completed the ride and raised over £1,000.

The combined efforts of the Hughes Family over the past 11 years have resulted in a fantastic £11,200 being raised for Aspire!  We are incredibly grateful for their continued support, an amazing legacy for Matt.