Rev'd Canon Cedric Blakey presents the cheque to Jackie Carpenter of Derby Night Shelter (Picture: Derby Evening Telegraph)

A cheque for £5,000 has been presented to the Derby Night Shelter, a homeless refuge centre in Boyer Street, Derby, by the Rev'd Canon Cedric Blakey, who raised the cash by cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats during May and June.

Canon Blakey pedalled the full length of the British Isles through mostly wet weather between May 20th and June 15th. The original fundraising target was £1000, but the generosity of friends, colleagues, members of the public and strangers' contributions along the route have secured five times that amount.

He said: "The journey was tough at times, but a wonderful trip I would recommend to anyone. I think my superb Derby-made Mercian bike was a significant help, carrying me and my equipment all that way without a hitch. I covered 1,062 miles and camped in over 20 different places. I'm very grateful everyone who encouraged me during the trip, but most importantly, gave their money to this vital charity."

Derby Night Shelter resident Ed Higgins, 20, agreed the centre had been invaluable to him. He said: “The Night Shelter’s been an extreme help to me - I would have got very wet the other night without it. It’s also nice to know I’ve got help on hand for things like life skills and housing.”

Anyone wishing to continue to support fundraising for Derby Night Shelter can still send a cheque made payable to Derbyshire Housing Aid.

ENDS