A middle-aged manager is to give up his suit and tie to go cycling on a trip of a lifetime.

Dave Anderson, of Stanley, County Durham, plans to cycle 400 miles from the Great Wall of China to Beijing in the name of charity later this year. The 40-year-old data retrieval manager at Northern Electric expects to raise £2,500 for mental health charity Mencap.

He said: "It must be me returning to my lost childhood or something, but I got on my bike after more years than I care to remember, about nine months ago.

"Then I saw a poster from Mencap at work describing this expedition they are organising, and I thought 'why not?'.

"I'll be on the bike for nine days and then we get a day's rest before it's back to the day job."

Mr Anderson has already raised £1,200 before his trip in June.

His children, Christopher, 12, and Rachel, ten, have been supporting his efforts to raise cash and get fit.