A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy is preparing to cycle from Worcestershire to Yorkshire to raise money for London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children.

Jonah Barker will be setting off from his home in Main Road, Kempsey, near Worcester, with his dad Geoffrey tomorrow morning – as long as the weather stays fine.

The two-day, 150-mile ride will see the duo cycle along roads and paths as they make their way north – first to Manchester, and then across into Yorkshire on Saturday.

Jonah will not only be raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, but also for Kempsey Primary School, where he is a pupil.

Mr Barker, aged 40, said: “It was absolutely both of our ideas. My partner and I got him a road bike for Christmas and we decided we wanted to do a really long ride, instead of going round in circles. From there, it snowballed.”

The two made the decision to head north towards Jonah’s grandfather’s home in Cheshire, but they realised if they were doing a ride of this magnitude they should really try to raise some money as well.

“We chose Great Ormond Street because we didn’t want to tag along with another cause like Comic Relief,” said Mr Barker. “We wanted to do something individual, and this really tugs on the heart strings.”

It was decided the money raised from friends, teachers and parents at Kempsey primary would go towards the school’s refurbishment, while sponsorship from anyone else would go towards the hospital.

So now all that remains is for the two to actually conquer the challenge.

Mr Barker said: “The main worry is the weather – that could really make a difference.

"Cycling on modern road bikes is really so energy efficient we won’t even really break a sweat.

"It’s not like running or swimming the channel.

“I’m not too worried about the roads. Jonah is quite road aware for his age and we will be cycling on them.

“If we want to get from point A to point B, it is not necessarily the quickest way to use the cycle paths.”

To sponsor Jonah, contact Mr Barker by e-mailing geofbarker@hotmail.co.uk