A woman who cycled from Land’s End to John o’Groats has raised ?803 for Age Concern Isle of Man. 48-year-old Mary-Jane Watson, who works at Isle of Man College, has recently returned home to Baldrine after completing the 19-day cycling challenge as part of a group tour organised by cycling holiday specialist Saddle Skedaddle. She was inspired to raise money for Age Concern in recognition of the support her mother-in-law, in her mid-80s, received from the charity’s advice and information service after she developed Alzheimer’s disease. Mary-Jane said: ‘The weather was, in the main, very good, and in total I cycled 1098 miles. There were some traumatic times, though, in the south of England where car drivers suffered from a bit of road rage. But all that changed as soon as we reached the north. From about Preston onwards the trip improved daily, as we cycled more and more on quiet country lanes and old military roads. ‘The bike’s taken a bit of a bashing, I’ve lost six pounds and I’m back to cycling to work each day. Cycling is a fantastic past-time/sport; it has been vital in my quest for weight loss and general fitness, having taken it up in 2007 simply as an exercise. Not only does it make you feel fabulous, but you get to see the world from a totally different and much slower perspective. The world is so very beautiful from the saddle of a bicycle with the wind in your face, and the sounds and smells of nature all around you. A highlight for me on my Land’s End to John o’Groat’s ride was seeing vast moorlands, wild deer and an eagle in Scotland.’ Age Concern Isle of Man chief executive George Quayle said: ‘This is a tremendous achievement to have cycled such a distance and we are extremely grateful to Mary-Jane for having chosen Age Concern as the cause to benefit from her outstanding efforts. I am also pleased that Mary-Jane and her mother-in-law have found our advice and information service of value, one of a whole range of services which, thanks to Mary-Jane and others like her, we are able to continue to provide to our growing number of clients.’ www.ageconcerniom.com Ends