ANTHONY Snelling is to cycle home from Paris in a fundraiser for the Joseph Weld Hospice which cared for his mother-in-law.

Mr Snelling of Bridport said: “I am raising money for Weldmar Hospicecare as they looked after my mother-in-law, Wendy Booth, in 2012.

“Her first contact with Weldmar was from Steve, one of the Weldmar community nurses.

“It was when Wendy was in the in-patient unit, that I promised I would do something for Weldmar. I first considered doing a skydive – but thought that this might be easier!”.

Mr Snelling has persuaded his neighbour Matthew Campbell to join him the gruelling 427-mile ride.

He said: “We are planning to do this in three days, cycling 427 miles.

“We will be starting at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, cycling to Calais, then to The London Eye and then home to Bridport.

Matthew heard about Anthony’s plans, and agreed to join him on his trip but he will be raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The men have organised the event themselves and are paying all the costs to make sure as much money as possible can be raised for their charities.

The pair have a few months to train.

They leave Paris at 4am on Thursday, August 28 for the 173 mile-ride to Calais.

After crossing the channel, by ferry, they will ride from Dover to London on day two, and complete their journey from London to Bridport in the evening of Saturday August 30. They hope to also call into Joseph Weld Hospice on the last day.

Mr Snelling added: “My wife, Simone, will be meeting us in Dover, to provide support on our UK journey. We also have a group of friends meeting us in Salisbury to help push us on.”

It is not just Anthony who has fundraised for Weldmar Hospicecare. Wendy’s daughter Simone Snelling and her two daughters, Samantha and Jodie, also took part in the Ladies Midnight Walk in Weymouth in 2012 with their friend Amy Hellier.

Grant Usmar, assistant director of Fundraising for Weldmar, said: “This is an amazing effort by Anthony, with support from his family and friends.

“We appreciate how much time and physical effort he is putting into ensuring that Weldmar’s services are available to the people in Dorset for the future.”

Anthony can be sponsored online on the virginmoneygiving.com website or by calling 01305 261800.

If Mr Snelling’s story has inspired people, Weldmar has a number of challenges to take up, including the RideLondon 100 cycle ride.

For more information, go to weld-hospice.org.uk/challenges or call Matt Smith on 01305 261800 for more information.