Wirral cyclist Dave Barden's 1,000-mile trek for earthquake victims

Dave Barden, from Oxton will fly from Manchester to Manado, Indonesia on October 24. 

He will travel through Sulawesi to Makassar, before returning to the UK on November 24.

He hopes to raise £5,000 for the Indonesia Earthquake & Tsunami Appeal, which was set up by the British Red Cross to help those who lost family and friends, their homes and everything they have in the disaster.

Dave cycled through Vietnam last year and decided his next cycle would be through Sulawesi. He had just finalised his route plan when news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami was broadcast.

After seeing harrowing images on the news and hearing reports of people having lost their lives and desperately searching for missing loved ones, he felt the need to do something.

Dave (pictured, below) has now changed his route to avoid the affected areas and decided to use his cycle as a way of raising vital funds to support the many people who are without food, medicine, shelter and clean water.

Looking forward to getting back on bike, Dave said: "People who experience such destruction and personal loss need as much help as possible.

"As a traveller, mostly as a cyclist, I have been shown incredible warmth, friendship and hospitality by people around the World, usually much less affluent than myself.

"I hope that by raising money for the Indonesia Earthquake & Tsunami Appeal, I can pay something back and encourage others to show generosity and kindness towards people who have suffered an awful tragedy.

"This cycle will be tough, but knowing that I can at least make a small difference in supporting the relief efforts in Sulawesi will give me the strength to keep going".

You can sponsor Dave and help those affected by the disaster by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dave-barden1

You can also track his journey and read updates on his blog https://davebardenworldcyclist.blogspot.com/

For more information about the appeal visit www.redcross.org.uk