AN ELECTRICIAN from York is preparing to cycle across the country for charity.

Eric Winterburn, 53, of Shipton Road works for City of York Council, and will cycle about 170 miles on the Way of the Roses, starting at the statue of Eric Morecambe on the west coast, and ending in Bridlington.

Mr Winterburn is riding with former work colleague Alan Walker and Mr Walker's brother in law David Lewis, and is raising money for Prostate Cancer UK.

He said: "It was a personal challenge and thought if I'm going to do this I might as well try and raise some money for charity. I've got to an age where it probably will affect my age group or friends. I lost one parent to cancer and thought if I could help raise awareness of prostate cancer it would be good."

Mr Winterburn said he originally aimed to raise £250, but has almost met his target already, thanks mainly to support from local businesses, and hoped to raise even more for the charity.

He said: "My children are a bit older so I've got a bit more spare time, so it's either play golf or get on my pushbike.

"I've always been a cyclist, but it's my first big bike ride. It's one of the reasons I took this job, because I could cycle to work but became more involved in this kind of cycling as a Tour Maker for the Tour de France. I just thought it was interesting."

The trio said they were staying realistic about their plans for the ride, which will take place between June 10 and 12.

Mr Winterburn said: "It depends on who you speak to. One friend who's a cyclist said he could do it in a day. We're aiming to do 60 miles a day. I'm doing 35 miles in a couple of hours on Sunday mornings at the moment, but getting back on the next day is going to be the hard part."

To donate, go to justgiving.com/Eric-Winterburn