A triathlete and Leeds Utd fan will be making what he considers to be the ultimate pilgrimage when he cycles to his beloved club's stadium Elland Road in aid of his friend.

Peter Fabian, 62, who lives in Hoole, Chester, was an active member of Chester Triathlon Club, Chester Road Club and Total Fitness before suffering a catastrophic stroke whilst training a year ago. This left him with a dense right sided weakness along with speech and communication difficulties that have meant significant lifestyle changes.

However, he is working hard to regain activity in these areas with the help of professionals and friends and there are encouraging developments as the months go on.

Now is friend Mark Hughes, 51, is cycling to Leeds from his home in Ellesmere, Shropshire, to support Peter.

“113 miles on a fixed wheel bike over the Pennines involving 2,425 metres of climb will be a considerable challenge,” said Mark. “But I’m hoping the bike’s Leeds Utd colour scheme and flag will spur me on”.

“A massive amount of work has been done with Peter in the last 18 months and he has surpassed expectations in his recovery, but there is still a long and difficult road ahead to further improve his mobility and verbal communication. It's in both of these areas of his rehabilitation that the NHS support has considerably reduced and future support will need funding.”

That is why Mark made the decision to support Peter and his wife Deri in raising funds which will allow riend to continue to improve his communication skills and mobility.

People are invited to make donations to Peter via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/markhugheschestertri