A DEVOTED man has cycled 2,000 miles in memory of his partner, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

John Brenan completed his mammoth challenge of cycling from John o’ Groats to Nice, in under four weeks and is just short of reaching his £5,000 target for the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Benevolent Fund.

Cycling in memory of his partner of 32 years, Janice Curwen, John set off from John o’ Groats, Scotland, on May 19, and spent the next 25 days endlessly pedalling to reach Nice, France on June 12, all to raise money for injured servicemen and women. he was joined by staff and patients at DMRC Stanford Hall, for part of the ride. Some were using handbikes for the 52 miles they travelled with John, due to the nature of their injuries. Daughter Kim also kept her dad company for a week of his journey.

The challenge wasn’t all smooth sailing though, with a handful of miles being added on to John’s predicted total after detours and getting lost, as well as the cyclist and his belongings getting alternately drenched and burnt by the changing weather along the way.

But John is glad he completed the ride, and is proud to have done it all for injured servicemen and women.

After witnessing the devastating impact of the military on friends who received life-changing injuries during their time in service, John knew he wanted to show his support, and this mighty challenge was a great way to do so, as he is only £40 short of his £5,000 target.

Reflecting on his almost month-long ride, John said: “With losing my partner Janice at the end of March, I can honestly say this ride was therapy for me - hard work and dangerous in places, but worth it to help the DMRC Benevolent Fund.

“I’ve been fundraising for them for a few years now, so I see exactly where donations help in the recovery of our injured military personnel, which is just fantastic.”

The humble Whitehaven man thanked everyone who supported him, donated, and followed his tiring but brilliant journey on Facebook, and said: “I’d like to thank everyone for their support and kind words.Anyone thinking of taking up a huge challenge, just do it – you are only here once.”

To donate to John’s JustGiving page and help him beat his £5,000 target, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/johnogroats-to-nice-2019.