A YOUNG man from Sampford Chapple is cycling 2,000 miles from Barcelona to Land’s End later this month to raise funds for the children’s hospital where his brother had emergency brain surgery.

Lee Bonner, 19, says he wants to ‘give something back’ to the Bristol Children’s Hospital which prevented his brother Ian suffering permanent brain damage after being knocked unconscious by a cricket ball.

Lee will set out on his bike from Barcelona on May 21 to cycle through northern Spain, across the Pyrenees and up the west coast of France before crossing by ferry to Plymouth.

From Plymouth he will then cycle the remaining 90 miles to Land’s End to finish his challenge.

The Okehampton Cycling Club member will be accompanied by his coach Nigel Hale-Hunter, from Winkleigh.

Lee hopes to raise £2,500 for the Grand Appeal at Bristol Children’s Hospital as well as forces charity Help for Heroes.

His brother Ian, now 17, collapsed unconscious after being hit by a cricket ball while bowling during a Hatherleigh Cricket Club practice at Shebbear College in 2016.

He was rushed by ambulance to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where his condition was deemed so serious he had to be transferred immediately to Bristol Children’s Hospital.

After a three-hour operation to relieve pressure on his brain by temporarily removing part of his skull, he was cared for in the hospital’s high dependency unit.

It was an anxious time for Lee and parents Marianne and Neil Bonner but fortunately Ian, now 17, has made a full recovery.

‘My brother’s accident has actually brought us closer together,’ said Lee.

‘It touched all our family, it really did. We have never had anything like this happen to us before.

‘If the hospital and their team hadn’t been there to operate then the pressure on his brain could have started to cause complications and could have caused long-lasting damage.

‘For me, too, seeing all these children who were having to be in hospital for treatment made me realise how lucky I am to be fit and healthy.

‘I wanted to challenge myself, to give something back to the hospital after what they did for my brother.’

He said he was ‘excited but nervous’ about his epic cycle which has involved training on Hatherleigh Moor and the surrounding countryside. He’s been notching up 60-80 mile rides at the weekends, coached by Nigel who also coaches competitive cyclists Andrew White and Josh Coyne, fellow members of Okehampton Cycling Club.

‘Nigel has trained me and supported me throughout,’ said Lee. ‘He will be riding with us the whole way. And my uncle Martin Bonner is going to act as our support vehicle.’

Lee’s also receiving support from Okehampton Cycles, and the Okehampton Osteopathic Clinic.‘I want to make sure I’m fully fit to do it, because I don’t want to get injured, but I’m very excited and really looking forward to it, to seeing what happens and how far I can push myself,’ said Lee.

Among his sponsors are his mum’s hair salon Art of Hair in Hatherleigh and his own employer Time and Space Distribution and Godfrey Short and Squire estate agents, both of Okehampton, as well as the Lions’ club in Okehampton. ‘The support I’ve had has been incredible,’ he said. ‘It has really been amazing.’ Search under ‘Lee Bonner’ at virginmoneygiving.com to donate.