Last year the SNJ reported on teenager Jonas Pollard’s amazing 4,000 mile bike ride which raised £8,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Jonas was inspired to help Macmillan after his mother Maggie was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly Maggie died shortly after Christmas at the age of just 51.

Megan Titley spoke to Jonas about his mother’s inspiring courage during her four year battle.

SPEAKING at his mother’s funeral service, Jonas, now 20, gave a moving eulogy entitled How mum and her cancer have made me the man I am.

A keen gardener with great knowledge of plants and wildlife, Maggie loved nature, and ensured her two children grew up to respect the environment.

Now, this understanding of nature is helping Jonas and his sister Rosie, 16, come to terms with their loss.

Addressing the service at Painswick Cemetery Chapel, Jonas said: “A part of me is deeply angered that such a wonderful and peaceful young life was lost to cancer but then I remember how much our planet and how the course of nature was a part of mum, maybe sometimes we need to let Mother Nature take her course.”

Jonas is taking a gap year before starting a course in creative advertising at Falmouth University in September.

Being in Cornwall will mean a lot to him because Maggie loved to take the children there for holidays.

Jonas explained that some of his fondest memories were of holidays on the Lizard Peninsula.

It was during a break there 10 years ago that the family brought a collie puppy they named Juno from a farm near Church Cove – an area they have since dubbed Juno’s beach. Maggie had three collies, which she adored.

Church Cove had a special place in Maggie’s heart and she spent hours painting watercolours of the view.

Contemplating his move to Falmouth in the autumn, Jonas said: “As I look out across the bay, I’ll picture mum with a swarm of black and white collies around her, bounding along the beach. And as the sun gently shimmers on the waves, I’ll remember this calm after the storm.”

Maggie was cared for during her last few days at Leckhampton Court Hospice.

“Mum battled cancer for four long years and she certainly put on a brave face,” said Jonas. “We’ve had such amazing support not only from mum’s close friends but from the cancer charities and the wonderful community in Painswick.

“There is a great sense of looking out for one another here in Painswick. It is a comforting thought that mum will rest in peace not only surrounded by breathtaking countryside but by wonderful people too.”