MOTORCYCLE man Rick Stowell set off from Wellington and rode 1,000 miles around the UK in less than 24 hours to raise money for St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice.

The charity is close to Rick’s heart as it cared for his father in a Sunflower Day Centre. The day centre provides respite for carers and allows patients the chance to maintain a social circle while managing their illness.

Rick had previously ridden from Italy to England in under 24 hours. Knowing he would need to make the ride a little more difficult to raise as much sponsorship as possible, he decided to take on challenging January weather conditions. He has raised £855, although that figure is still rising.

He set off at 9am on Saturday, January 16, from Chelston roundabout, making his way across and then up country, passing through heavy snow falls on the Pennines to reach Edinburgh and Glasgow, before coming back down the country again. He arrived safely back at Wellington in the early hours of January 17.