THE LOSS of his grandad from dementia has spurred on a Halesowen man to tackle a 105-mile charity cycle ride just months after buying a bike.

Peter Fell, aged 37, hadn’t been on a bike since he was a teenager but in January he bought a road bike to take part in the annual Wolverhampton to Aberdovey sponsored bike ride.

He hopes to raise £500 for Alzheimer’s Society in the challenge tomorrow (Friday, June 21).

Peter’s grandfather Cecil Fell, a retired machinist and former carpenter from Rugeley, died at the age of 90, after living with dementia for several years.

Father-of-two Peter, an optical lab technician at Mersona Ltd in Halesowen, who lives on the Lodgefield Estate, said: “I’ve never done a charity challenge before and I know it will be tough, but it’s for a great cause and in memory of my grandad who passed away in January.

“Friends who are keen cyclists have done the ride before, so I have an idea of what’s involved.

"I’m training hard and hope to complete the course in eight to ten hours.

"I’ll be sore at the end but it will be worth it and I want to thank everyone who has sponsored me so far.”

Work colleagues, friends and family have contributed and Halfords in Oldbury sponsored Peter with cycle gear.

Anyone interested in donating can visit the website at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peterfell-aberdoveybikeride2019.

The Alzheimer’s Society is the chosen charity of Mersona, the optical laboratory for Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care.

Scrivens is supporting the charity for a fifth successive year because there is evidence of a link between uncorrected hearing loss and dementia, including Alzheimer’s.