A RETIRED police officer is making one last ride to raise thousands of pounds for a good cause before he gets too old to cycle.

Geoffrey Lee, 76, from St Lawrence Bay, has set a goal to raise £10,000 for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.

Mr Lee plans to do a 500-mile cycle ride from the north of the country back down to Essex for the charity he has been supporting for several years.

Last September, he received recognition from the hospital who have said he had cycled more than 1,260 miles and raised over £38,000.

His ultimate goal is to raise his final total to more than £42,000.

Mr Lee said: “I am a retired police sergeant and have raised money for many charities over the past 50 years.

“For the past four years, I have given all my effort and support to fundraise for Great Ormond Street by cycling in various parts of the country.

“I will be 76 years old this year and I’m starting to feel my age and cannot keep up with younger cyclists, as I discovered last year on the Scottish North Coast 500-mile ride.

“I managed to finish but found it very hard and was a long way behind everyone else.

“This year, Great Ormond Street have asked if I could do one more ride for them.

“I have personally visited the hospital and seen for myself the wonderful work they do and the number of sick and seriously ill children they deal with.

“I have given this request a lot of thought and decided the only way I can complete the ride will be for me to cycle alone at my speed and take as much time as I now need.”

His route will start at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, passing through the Yorkshire Dales, Derbyshire Peak District and crossing into Lincolnshire where he will follow the coast through Norfolk, Suffolk and finally back home to Essex.

Mr Lee added: “Over the past three years, with support from various firms and individuals, I have raised over £38,000 for the hospital.

“This will be a difficult challenge but if I take my time, I feel sure I can do it.

“I did not feel I could let the hospital down.”

The date for the ride is June 25.

To support Mr Lee, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Geoffrey-lee2.