A hospital director completed a gruelling 215-mile coast-to-coast bike ride to raise money to build a much-needed pre-school in Hope, Uganda.

John Pickering, hospital director at Nuffield Health Chester, The Grosvenor Hospital, cycled from Hornsea via Hull to Southport crossing the Pennine Way, raising almost £2,500 to kick-start the build of a new community pre-school in rural Uganda.

The bike ride was just one of a series of challenges undertaken to raise the £10,000 needed to enable the build of the project.

Prior to the most recent challenge, John had joined close friends on two other coast-to-coast routes where money was raised to buy the land for the school.

John set his sights on the challenge after witnessing the poverty and deprivation in the country during his visits as a volunteer for the medical charity Hernia International.

Neil Martin, John Pickering and Jim Taylor at the start of the bike ride

He said: “When you go to Africa and witness the extreme poverty first hand, it becomes lodged in your soul and you never forget their daily struggles.

“For me, every waking minute is now spent wondering what more I can do to help. I would like to thank everyone who has donated as every penny counts.”

To support John’s efforts, staff at Nuffield Health Chester, The Grosvenor Hospital also held a bake sale and raised nearly £200.

Marketing and business development lead at Nuffield Health Chester, Ailsa Rainey, said: “We were extremely proud to see John completing such a difficult challenge for a great cause.

“John and the team have raised a fantastic amount of money and we look forward to seeing the results of their hard work. ”

To donate, visit John’s Just Giving page, click here .