A MAMMOTH cycling effort followed by a marathon has raised nearly £1,500 for a Salisbury charity.

Mike Partridge, 27, from Bemerton Heath, cycled 1,350 kilometres from London to Prague in 11 days and then ran the Berlin Marathon a day later in just three hours 27 minutes, all for Hope and Homes for Children.

Mr Partridge works for the charity as a fundraiser but decided he wanted to take a break from his usual desk job and use his spare time to bring in even more cash to help children in Europe and Africa find loving families rather than growing up in orphanages.

He said: “I realised I had far too much energy for a normal person so instead of relaxing on my holidays I decided to set myself this challenge.”

He was joined on the trip by a friend, James Regan.

To sponsor them go to www.justgiving.com/londontoberlin.

For more information about Hope and Homes for Children visit www.hopeandhomes.org.