TEN-year-old John Gaskell brought tears to his dad's eyes when he crossed the finish line to take gold in the Manchester-to-Blackpool bike ride.

The Tyldesley Primary School pupil did his sponsors proud, completing the full 60 miles, accompanied by dad, Steve, in five and half hours.

The pair, who rode with 10 other Post Office workers, were among 5,000 cyclists who set off from the Trafford Centre last month for the ride to Stanley Park in Blackpool.

John and seven year-old, Jason Faux, of Culcheth, were among only a handful of youngsters to take part in the race.

As well as friends and family, Steve and John, of Nelson Street in Tyldesley, were supported by the Post Office, which had a van stopping every 10 miles to provide them with food and drinks, and took them home at the end of the journey.

Thanks to his sponsors, who included many members of Tyldesley Band, John raised almost £300 for Christie's, while Steve did the ride for the Post Office.

Steve said: "We are very proud of him, I was almost in tears as he crossed the finish line. He has done brilliantly and raised £300 -- he needed to raise £250 to get a gold medal and he was determined to have one of those gold medals!"

After John's achievement, they intend to repeat the ride next year and are also considering taking part in other races.