VETERAN cyclist Jim Hall will be giving handy hints to fellow bikers when they embark on a gruelling trek through Israel next month.

The 64-year-old will be part of a band of Bolton people who will be jetting off to foreign climes in a 260-mile journey.

The 53 pedal pushers, many from the Bolton area, are hoping to raise a mammoth £120,000 to equip ambulances with vital life-saving child monitors.

Jim, a Lancashire Road Club veteran known for his Land's End to John O' Groats walking and cycling record, has spearheaded the campaign run by the Children's Hospitals Appeal Trust.

Gentle

"The fund-raising has gone very well - thanks to the stories in the BEN," Jim said. "Everything seems to be running to plan with no last minute hiccups."

The riders met for their last training run in Knutsford last week and completed a 34-mile trip as a gentle warm-up.

The charity ride, between February 13 and 21, will be from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.

"We don't envisage any last minute surprises, " Jim, dfrom Egerton, said. "The only person who could hinder our plans now will be Saddam Hussein!"

The cash raised will provide vital life signs monitors for children, traction splints and burns equipment in Greater Manchester ambulances.

Stalwart fund-raiser Jim has been busy putting in sessions at the Velodrome in Manchester and regular stints on his turbo trainer at home.

"I've not been doing many road miles," he admits. "The weather's been terrible. Hopefully, we won't be getting any rain in Israel."

Donations to the Children's Ambulance Appeal Red Sea to the Dead Sea Bike Ride, account number 1061115, can be made to the Lloyds Bank, Deansgate, Bolton.

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