A JOURNEY by exercise bike of 1000 miles — the length of Great Britain — is under way to raise money for repairs to the crumbling stonework of a church tower.

Paul Eggleton is raising the money during the lockdown by cycling an hour a day on his exercise bike. His route will take him approximately ten weeks to complete.

He “left” John o’Groats on 1 April, and, by early this week, had “reached” Inverness. He is documenting his progress each day on Twitter as @EndVirtual.

Mr Eggleton is raising money for St John’s, north Farnham, in Surrey, where he and his wife, Stella, who is an ordinand, worship. St John’s is 177 years old, and the stonework in the tower is in need of repair.

“I haven’t cycled for ages, and, because it’s so cold out there, I thought I’d cycle on an exercise bike,” Mr Eggleton said. “I’m doing around an hour a day, and half the money I raise will pay for repairs to the church tower, and half to the Alzheimer’s Society.”

He has met his original £500 target, and has now raised his target to £1000.

The ride has inspired him to visit the area in real life after the end of coronavirus restrictions. “I’d love to retrace my steps again as I’ve never been that far north — except I’d do it by car rather than bike next time.”

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