A BIDFORD long-distance charity walker has completed more than 200 of the 1,000 miles he hopes to cover in aid of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust.

David Hughes, aged 60, of Marleigh Road, who left John O' Groats on September 11 for Lands End, spoke to the Journal this week to say he was on schedule, despite last week's fuel crisis.

His back-up team, consisting of his wife June and friends Pete and Maureen Sanders, is shadowing him by camper van. Fortunately, they appear to have avoided the worst effects of the fuel blockades.

Mr Hughes said: "We were a bit worried about it when we were right up in the mountains and the stations were beginning to close. But someone let us have four empty five-gallon drums so we filled them up and they're on top of the camper van."

He spent a day collecting money in Inverness last Saturday and reached the ski-resort Aviemore the next day and hopes to reach Perth this weekend.

So far he is averaging 29 miles a day, despite blisters, sore feet and severe hill climbs and high mountain passes, one of which was 1,300ft above sea level.

He hopes to complete the trek in October and anticipates walking through Bidford and Evesham in about two weeks.

Mr Hughes decided to do the walk after losing several relatives to cancer and seeing how the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust's donor register helped a boy from Broom.