THE manager of a Wellington care home is back home after helping to raise thousands of pounds by cycling 920 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

Chris Church, registered manager at Wellington House in Longforth Road, did the ten-day ride with Wellington electrician and best friend Wayne Hines.

Chris said: “It was very long and very, very difficult – a lot harder than we thought it would be.”

The pair, both aged 34, have raised more than £3,000 for the Hope for Tomorrow charity, which supports cancer sufferers.

Chris’s mum Marion, who was chef at the care home, died last December aged 60 after being diagnosed two years before with bladder cancer.

Chris said riding conditions were difficult when it was hot over Easter but became wetter and easier.

He added: “I fell off in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands and hurt my knee, which later required physiotherapy, but just had to get on with it. Later we ran into Storm Hannah cycling over the Severn Bridge, near Bristol.”

Chris clocked up 2,500 miles on his bike during eight months of training for the ride.

Hope for Tomorrow brings cancer care closer to patients’ homes through its Mobile Cancer Care Units (MCCUs).

Bumble, the Somerset MCCU, has been in operation since 2010 and has saved cancer patients hundreds of thousands of miles in travel and time.

Chris said: “Hope for Tomorrow provides vital cancer care closer to patients, enabling them to spend more time with family friends and loved ones.

“We would like to thank everyone for their messages, donations and support.”

Anyone who would like to add to the bike ride fundraising total should visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wellingtonandlongforthhouse