BIKING Mayor of Rossendale Coun Alan Neal will be getting on his motorbike and riding nearly 4,500 miles to raise money for a children's charity.

Coun Neal, 46, is appealing for people in the Valley to back his mammoth effort for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Full Stop campaign by sponsoring the trip.

He said: "I have been given a new Honda CB500 from Robinsons of Rochdale and I will be riding for about 12 to 14 hours each day to complete the miles.

"I will leave from Granny Cropper's Kitchen on Bank Street, Rawtenstall, opposite the market, at 2pm on Saturday and should arrive in Ayr by 8pm that evening.

"From there I am going to Dunoon, Inverness, John O'Groats, Edinburgh, Great Yarmouth, Cornwall, Minehead, Wales, Chester and back into Rawtenstall in time for the ride in to the bike show on Sunday September 26."

Coun Neal admitted the most he had ever ridden was about 400 miles in one day, but he is determined to stay the course.

He said: "I have driven a car for 3,000 miles over 27 hours coming back from Switzerland with just a 30 minute break in the shuttle so I have some experience of long distance journeys."

Sponsors can pledge donations by contacting the Mayor's office at the town hall, Rawtenstall, and Coun Neal will be outside Granny Cropper's Kitchen from 1.30pm onwards on Saturday collecting donations. His trip is backed by the British Motorcycle Federation.

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