A doting father has cycled from one end of the country to the other to raise money for charity.

Matthew Ring, 35, of Harpenden, pedalled from Land’s End to John O’Groats and raised £2,000 for the Rainbow Trust - a charity that supports families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.

The father of three, who works for the social networking site Facebook, was inspired to fundraise for the Rainbow Trust in gratitude for the fact his children are all well and happy.

He set off from Cornwall and spent two weeks pumping his pedals all the way to Scotland.

Matthew, who organised the ride himself, cycled 80 miles a day and said: “I took my time and I actually enjoyed it.”

He went on: “There are quite a few organised rides that go on through the year but I wanted to go on my own route and stay with some friends and families along the way. “In places it was difficult but it wasn’t horrendous because I did a fair bit of training beforehand.

Matthew, who encountered bad weather in Scotland, missed his children when he was away and they missed him too but he confessed: “It’s quite nice to get time on my own.”

During his ride, the dad made a diary blog which can be found at www.ringolejog.wordpress.com