ARMED with little more than his tent, a mobile phone and a puncture repair kit, an employee at the University of Chester will have only himself for company as he cycles almost 1,000 miles for charity.

Will Maginn will be heading up north to John O’Groats this week and plans to pedal the 900-plus miles completely unsupported in the hope of raising £1,000 for Cancer Research UK.

The 25-year-old, who graduated from the university in 2009 with a degree in software engineering, will leave his Sandy Lane home in Chester for Scotland on May 14 – the day he passed his driving test in 2002 – and will start the gruelling trek the following day.

Management information services officer Will, who cycles to his job in Registry Services every day, only decided to complete the challenge last month and, despite the fact that he is not completing a rigorous training regime in preparation, he aims to finish the journey in two weeks.

He explained: “Being happy is something that I cherish and the happiness of others even more so. For most people life is a short and fast paced experience filled with fun and joy and it is all too easy to forget about others in need.

“By doing this trip and challenging myself mentally and physically I hope to bring at least some happiness to those who need it far more than I do.

“I decided to set my target at £1,000, as it roughly works out to £1 for every mile I cycle, which personally I think is good value for money.

“I’ve chosen to raise money for Cancer Research UK because it’s a disease that is likely to affect everyone in some way during their lives, whether it is directly or through knowing someone who has it.”

In order to make sure the charity gets every penny from his challenge Will, originally from Northern Ireland, has set up an online charity donation page through Just Giving.

He said: “I will be camping for most of the journey with maybe one or two B&B or hotel stops along the way but it is very important to me that none of the money raised through doing this is used towards funding any part of my trip.”

Will intends to prove he’s accomplished his mission by taking pictures of himself at various stop-offs along the way and will keep an account of his time on the road which he intends to upload in a blog about his travels when he gets back home.

Follow his progress at twitter.com/wil_49 and under the search term Am I there yet… on Facebook.

He added: “It is nerve wracking because it’s a big challenge and I’ll be all by myself so it’s going to be tough going at times.

“But in a way that is the point of the trip, to work outside my comfort zone and push myself, but most importantly to complete the journey and to keep myself safe on the roads.”

To date Will has raised £135 towards his target. If you would like to help him hit the £1,000 mark visit justgiving.co.uk/maginn to make a donation.