SPORTING manager Paul Smith will be putting his football boots aside this Sunday to take part in the Velo Birmingham 100-mile cycle ride.

The intrepid Smith will be attempting to hit the target by raising funds for the mental health charity MIND.

He said: "I've done nowhere near enough preparation for the ride. As a result, I'll probably enjoy the first 50 to 60 miles, but I won't be enjoying the last 20!

"I do a bit of cycling with a group called Barnt Green Chain Gang but I've not enough to prepare for this.

"I'd always intended to do the ride, but it was only after talking with one of the Sporting officials Phil Baker, that the idea came to do it for a charity and mental health issues are something that I feel quite strongly about.

"Mental health is a secret killer and it goes unnoticed, especially in young men. Too many people try to deal with it themselves and suffer in silence, when they should ask for help".

To donate visit justgiving.com/paul-smith-bromsgrove.