A group of Co Tyrone men in their 60s were among those who have raised thousands of pounds after a 1,000 mile cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats in Scotland.
Leslie Craig, from Donemana, and friends completed the trip which took them from the very south of England to the North of Scotland, in aid of a charity which is close to Leslie's heart.
Leslie said: “It’s one of the epic cycles that you want to complete. A few of us had already done Mizen to Malin twice actually so this was the next step.
“The charity I chose, the Cardiomyopathy Association, was mainly because my wife had a condition which led to chronic heart failure and she actually had a heart transplant five and a half years ago.
“The Cardiomyopathy Association were very supportive of us and other families with that condition in terms of all the information they give out and support they give.
“When you’re doing a cycle like this, of course you are doing it for the cycle but we wanted to make it worthwhile in other areas as well.”
The group have raised more than £4,000 for the association, and Leslie added the ride was a difficult task but one they were happy to complete.
He said: “We went the scenic route, we didn’t go the main route as the main roads in England would be very unsafe to cycle on.
“You’re over some of the iconic bridges like the Severn bridge, the Clifton suspension bridge in Bath and over the high passes in the Scottish Cairngorms.
“Certainly the elevations and gradients in Cornwall and Devon were quite trying.
“I’m 60 years old and my friend Archie Fullerton who is the local GP in Donemana was there as well and he’s 68.
“It can be done and it’s a matter of just keeping fit and cycling, and keeping up the practice really.”
If you would like to donate to Leslie’s fundraiser you can visit his JustGiving page here.
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