A FITNESS enthusiast has returned to Bolton after a fundraising bike ride to London.

Barry Calvert from Kearsley cycled all the way from the Royal Bolton Hospital to the world famous Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London to raise money for the Nathan Howarth Appeal.

The dad-of-two managed the gruelling 202-mile challenge in just four days and enjoyed every minute of the journey.

Barry, who works for engineering company Bellhouse Hartwell in Daisy Hill, stopped off at Halfords shops on the way as the store in Bolton had given him a bike free of charge and their staff nationwide promised to keep it in tip-top condition on its mammoth trek towards the capital.

The enthusiastic fund-raiser, who lived in Africa for 20 years where he also worked in engineering, has helped out many charities over the years including the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.

"The trip was absolutely fantastic," he said. "The weather was really bad for two days and between Matlock and Kettering it was snowing and sleeting. But all the people I met along the way were fantastic and really supported me.

"I think it raised awareness of Nathan's condition because everyone I met wanted to know why I was doing the cycle.

"It was exhausting and I was relieved to get to London, but I didn't feel as though I could take my foot off the pedal because there were so many people supporting me.

"I ended up going to a party when I got there because I met 15 nurses who had all just qualified!"

He added: "I'm going to have a rest this week before I go back to work - but my work colleagues need a big thank you for all their kind support."

Barry has raised at least £1200 for three-year-old Nathan from Great Lever who suffers from fanconi anaemia and needs specialist treatment which is only available in America.