A canine-loving school teacher cycled the length of Britain in just 10 days to raise money for a greyhound charity, despite the best efforts of Hurricane Bertha.

Upton man Toby Boram’s pedal power - which saw him travel from Land’s End to John o’Groats - has so far raised more than £5,000 for Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE).

Toby, who teaches at Archers Brook School in Ellesmere Port, said: “It is all about the hounds, not the bike.

“All along, they have been my motivation. Beautiful, gentle dogs who just need that helping hand on their way to being loyal and lovely pets.

“Every hour in this country a dog is put to sleep by local authorities. These are not dogs who have done anything wrong. They simply have nowhere to go and those dogs depend upon volunteers and charities like GRWE.”

Many GRWE supporters assembled throughout the road trip - which was dubbed Toby’s Lejog - to cheer him on.

“Lejog has brought so many dedicated volunteers from all our regions together; literally linking them with our trail up the country,” Toby said.

Toby’s partner Karen Miller and Lisa Webb from GRWE travelled in Toby’s official support vehicle, to ensure smooth running, and to provide moral and practical support.

Toby said: “Standing at the tip of Scotland on August 14 was the culmination of an incredible journey. For myself, Karen and Lisa, and our dogs - who travelled Britain with us.”

But it wasn’t plain sailing for Toby and the team, thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Bertha which hit Britain last week.

“The conditions made it very difficult to go on,” he said.

“This has been a rollercoaster for Karen, and I know she was worried. I owe so much to her and to Lisa. I could never have done it without them, and this is as much an achievement for them as it is for me,” he added.

Toby said there were many highlights in the eventful journey, including stopping by Frodsham Fair.

“To briefly see home, and the smiling faces of friends and family was such an uplifting feeling when I was still only half way.”

If you’d like to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/tobygrwelejog.