A CAMBORNE man is in the middle of a 5,000-mile cycle ride across South America to raise money for ShelterBox.

Inveterate cyclist Mike Hayes has spent the last few years touring the world on his bike.

The 37-year-old has now decided to raise £5,000 – £1 for each mile he covers – for the charity, which is both topical at the moment and important to him.

He said: "ShelterBox is a charity very close to my heart – I had friends in Indonesia and Pakistan who were hurt badly by the Boxing Day tsunami and Pakistan earthquake respectively – in both cases ShelterBox were among the very first on the scene.

"I think the work they do and the way they do it is unique, they have a public profile much lower than the work they do deserves. I think they're brilliant."

Mike began his journey in Puerto Montt, southern Chile on January 11 and hopes to reach his destination, Cuzco, Peru by the end of May.

He added: "It's a tough journey, I'm here on my own and camping wild for much of it – the distances and altitudes dictate that, the sponsorship that people provide is what keeps me going through the toughest days.

"It's a self-funded journey, I have no corporate sponsorship so every penny people sponsor me for goes to ShelterBox."

Mike is an aeronautical engineer, who works as a civilian at Culdrose, where he is lead engineer for the Merlin flight simulators.

His employer, Lockheed, granted him five months' leave for his bike ride.

To make a donation or to find out more about Mike's journey, visit www.justgiving.com/mikesimagination