TRAVELLER Len O'Donnell is preparing to visit Durham's namesake as he nears the end of his 3,640-mile US cycle trip.

The 69-year-old Durham county councillor set off in March on a journey from Los Angeles to Washington DC to raise money to replace fire engines and other equipment destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attack. He has received a warm welcome on his journey and has been staying at fire stations along the way.

The Wingate and Peterlee councillor's adventure has attracted widespread publicity, with several American television and radio stations asking to interview him.

In a latest bulletin, spokeswoman Donna Bissonnette reports: "We dropped Len off in Lynchburg on Sunday morning where he had breakfast with the firefighters and the chief before riding to Lexington, where he was met by the publisher of the Lexington News Gazette, Matt Paxton, who will be flying Len to Durham NC, the sister city to Durham, England, on June 3."