CHARITY cyclist Dave Colley went the extra mile - or two - when he pedalled from Lands End to John O'Groats.

After clocking up more than 800 miles in eight days the Brockenhurst College sports centre manager pressed on through the night to cover a further 67 miles to complete the journey a day ahead of schedule.

And even then Dave, 34, from Christchurch, didn't stop but carried on a further two miles to the remote Duncansby Head lighthouse - the most north-easterly point of mainland Scotland.

Averaging 14 miles an hour for the whole trip Dave had to contend with just three punctures along the way and only one wet day on the stretch across the Scottish Highlands from Perth to Carrbridge.

In all Dave cycled 874.32 miles and hopes to have raised more than £5,000 in sponsorship for the Brockenhurst Gateway Club for adults with special needs.

He said: "The best bit was seeing the first sign for John O'Groats."

Dave returned to a hero's welcome at the club's weekly meeting in the Hard Brock Caf on the college campus.

Gateway club founder and leader Wendy Collyer, who drove the Brockenhurst college minibus as Dave's support vehicle, was delighted with the result.

"People have been coming out of the woodwork with sponsorship and we would like to thank them all," she said.

"The total is going to be at least £5,000 and that has certainly secured the future of the Gateway Club for another 18 months."

Formed in 1995 to provide a badly needed social and leisure outlet for adults with learning difficulties the club has nearly 60 members aged from 18 to 83 drawn from across the New Forest region.