Father-of-three Shane initially set his sights on raising just over £3,000 for the charity but is already on his way to breaking the £5,000 barrier, following a donation from JCB.

Shane said: “I decided I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and challenging before I was too old, so when I heard about this charity ride through my wife Kristin’s friend I thought ‘why not’, as it’s for a very deserving local charity.

“I have never done anything like this before, and to be honest I am not much of a cyclist, which is why this is a very big challenge for me.

“Nightingale House provides care and support to local people and their families affected by life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, and it costs £8,604 a day to run – of which 80% needs to be found from voluntary contributions.

“JCB has been very supportive and has very kindly donated £1,000 which is an unbelievable amount.”

The challenge begins in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on November 16 and will see Shane and 23 others who are also raising funds for the hospice, cycle for between six and nine hours each day en route to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The cyclists will face temperature of up to 35 degrees celsius and humidity up to 85 per cent on their six-day adventure.

To support Shane’s fundraising for Nightingale House visit: www.justgiving.com/Shane-Wheeler.