A dad who vowed to ride 1,000 miles to raise money for the hospital which cared for his daughter as she battled a rare immune system disorder has completed the mammoth challenge.

Frank White, 52, from Hatchmere, has so far raised a staggering £5,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital by cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats last month.

Averaging 85 miles on each of the 11 days, Frank compared the gruelling ride to a job in which ‘there was nowhere to hide’.

Frank said: “It was a challenge but I got up all the hills in Devon and Cornwall, Shap in the Lake District and the ominously named Heartbreak Hill in Scotland without getting off my bike.”

The drinking water specialist, who works for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was inspired to fundraise for Alder Hey so that other children can benefit from ‘the wonderful work done by the rheumatology team’, which treated his daughter Nina.

Frank White with daughter Nina
Frank White with daughter Nina

Nina was just 16 when she was diagnosed with overlap connective tissue disorder with arthritis, lupus and dermatomyositis.

Although she spent two months in hospital, she achieved 10A*s in her GCSEs and is in remission and studying biology at Cardiff University.

With his £5,500 target within reach, Frank said he was ‘delighted and humbled by the generosity of so many people, particularly people I hardly know’.

To sponsor Frank, visit www.justgiving.com/Frank-White1 .