AN East Renfrewshire man has saddled up for a mammoth charity challenge that will see him cycle the length of Britain.

Neil Amner, 51, aims to pedal his way from Land’s End to John O’Groats – a total of 980 miles – to generate funds for Parkinson’s UK.

He is being inspired by his dad Ian, who has lost his mobility since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged.

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Neil, who set off on his marathon journey on Friday and hopes to raise almost £10,000 for the worthy case, told the Barrhead News: “This is the hardest challenge I’ve done. I’ve completed other endurance challenges, such as the Caledonian Challenge and Three Peaks hill walks and an Iron Man distance triathlon, but this will be a real test.

“Round-the-world champion cyclist Mark Beaumont spoke at an event last autumn and I was so inspired by his talk that I decided to give this a go.

“I’ve made it even harder by only signing up for the event in June – giving me just 10 weeks to get ready, rather than the year that people often have to prepare, and I’ve never done multiple 100-plus mile cycles back to back.”

Giffnock man Neil, who is a director at law firm Anderson Strathern, added: “I have received plenty of well wishes and support from my work colleagues.

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“I’m hoping to raise £10 a mile for a fantastic charity that I know does so much good work for people like my dad.

“I’m delighted to have been asked to be a Parkinson’s UK ambassador on the Ride Across Britain and I’m looking forward to what promises to be a great adventure in aid of a great cause.”

You can follow Neil’s progress and support his fundraising efforts for Parkinson’s UK by visiting HERE.