A DETERMINED grandad saddled up for an Asian adventure to coin in cash for a charity close to his heart.

East Renfrewshire man Alister Bull took part in Hope for Justice’s Extreme Challenge, which saw a team of 18 cyclists riding from Cambodia to Vietnam in just five days.

Alister, 54, was inspired to go that extra mile after he was faced with the harsh reality of human trafficking in south-east Asia and in Scotland.

READ MORE: Better late than never as veteran is honoured for service in Malaya

Through his work as a training and development officer with Hope for Justice, he was confronted by some shocking facts about trafficking that he was unable to ignore.

Now he is delighted to have raised a whopping £14,000 for the charity by completing the 240-mile-long cycling odyssey.

Alister told the Barrhead News: “The cycle took us through Cambodia – a country where the charity has already provided support to a lot of victims of sexual exploitation – and we stopped off at several places along the way to see the work that the charity has done.

“We were inspired to keep going with the cycle after making these stops because we knew the money would go towards this work being replicated in Vietnam.

“Scotland has the highest number of Vietnamese trafficking victims in the whole of Europe and, in 2017, there was a 38 per cent rise in trafficking victims.

“It is a problem which really needs to be addressed.”

To prepare himself for the challenge, the father-of-four put himself through rigorous training that involved completing gruelling 30-mile cycles five or six times a week.

However, these were nothing compared to the cross-country challenge in Cambodia, which saw the cyclists battle through intense heat, rough terrain and the struggle of missing their loved ones.

Former church minister Alister, from Newton Mearns, said: “It was a real challenge out there. Most days it was around 37°C and the humidity was unbelievable.

“On the last day, I hit a bit of a wall where I really missed my family and felt so far from home. The team helped me to come through my struggle and really supported me.

“I actually left to take part in the challenge on my pregnant daughter’s due date and was worried I would miss the birth of my fourth grandchild but I came back to find that she was still pregnant, so that was a relief.”

In total, the Extreme Challenge team raised £250,000.

As well as organising ceilidhs and a sponsored cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Alister raised £3,000 of his total through selling his artwork.

READ MORE: Street dance champ cleared over alleged part in gang attack

Thanks to Alister and the rest of the team’s dedication, the charity will be able to make a difference to the lives of those being exploited and subjected to modern slavery in Vietnam.

This money will not only help to prosecute those who are responsible for trafficking of vulnerable people but also provide places for victims to recover and receive support.