Tony Tanner, a retired resident of Clutton, has decided to dedicate his sixtieth year to challenging himself mentally and physically.

He told The Journal: “I was inspired when riding along the Strawberry Line – I stopped at a café and met two retired gentlemen who where cycling Land’s End to John O’ Groats, so I thought – ‘I’d like to do that one day’.

“I really enjoy cycling and especially during lockdown it has kept me feeling good mentally. With this in mind, I have decided to cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats known as LEJOG , a journey of over 1,000 miles and doing so to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind.

“I’m busy planning my route from Cornwall, Devon, South Wales, the Lake District to Scotland and booking accommodation for my trip on 1st July. I’m also training in my garage on a turbo trainer and cycling 100 miles per week.

“My support vehicle will be my wife, Lee and dog, Alfie in our VW T6.

“Everyday people suffer with various mental health issues and during the pandemic it has been particularly difficult, either because of lack of social contact, inability to go out or the usual support not being available. Currently in the UK, 18-20 people commit suicide every day.

“Paulton Rovers Football club are holding a charity coffee and cake afternoon to support my ride and the Mind charity on Tuesday, 14th June from 1 pm – 4 pm hosted by Jean Lockyear and her daughters, Angela and Sarah. They do a great job of holding charity/fundraising events there every second Tuesday of the month – everyone is welcome.”

For more information, or to donate to Tony’s bike ride, visit his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tony-tanner2