Freemason raises more than £93,000 in charity challenges

John Donoghue, a member of several lodges in the Province of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has completed a series of demanding long-distance cycling and swimming events to support a variety of good causes.

His efforts include cycling across entire countries and mountain ranges, as well as a 50-mile sponsored swim.

John, right, has raised more than £93,000 for a wide range of charitable causes. (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons)

John said: "Every time I get on the bike or dive into the water, I know that every mile covered is helping someone through a difficult time.

"Whether it's supporting medical research, assisting wounded veterans, or providing technology for children in hospices, the motivation comes from knowing the tangible difference these funds make."

His fundraising journey spans more than a decade and includes a ride from Gibraltar to Dorset, more than 1,000 miles, which raised £17,000 for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

John, right, has been completing fundraising challenges for well over a decade. (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons)

Other challenges include cycling from Edinburgh to Portsmouth, which raised £7,000 for the Royal College of Surgeons, and the Hampshire Grand Tour in 2010, where he visited every Masonic Centre in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to raise £15,000 for the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.

In 2011, John raised £10,000 for Help for Heroes through a series of cycling challenges to support injured military personnel.

He also completed a 50-mile ultra sponsored swim in 2022, raising £7,000.

In 2024, he and Assistant Provincial Grand Master Nigel Edwards cycled the Camino del Norte to Santiago de Compostela, raising £20,000.

In 2025, he cycled the French Camino to Santiago and on to Cape Finisterre, raising another £20,000 for the Mark Benevolent Fund.

His most recent achievement in 2026 was an 800-mile ride over the Picos mountains in Galicia to Santiago and back, raising £13,000 for the Freemasons' Charity (MCF) and £1,740 for Lifelites, a charity providing assistive technology to children in hospices.

John said: "I am immensely grateful to my fellow Freemasons, family, and friends across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, and beyond who have supported and sponsored me over the years.

"I couldn't have done it without them."

His fundraising has supported a range of non-Masonic and Masonic charities, including Help for Heroes, the Royal College of Surgeons and children's health causes, as well as Masonic trusts supporting communities across the UK.