Leamington man will never walk alone in his fundraising efforts

Encephalitis Society fundraiser James Pratt is edging closer to his 12-month target of £10,000 after completing a bicycle ride from Lands End to John O’Groats.

By The Newsroom

Published 4th Oct 2014, 08:00 BST

James Pratt and Steven Mayers visit Anfield during their cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats

Mr Pratt, who at the age of 24 fell seriously ill with the condition, has now raised £8,600 and has had some help from friends along the way.

The 34-year-old completed the nine-day cycle with his friend and fellow Liverpool fan Steven Myers, stopping at Anfield along the way to pay tribute to those who died at Hillsborough on the 25th anniversary of the disaster.

Luke Clark, another of Mr Pratt’s friends, and his colleagues John Hastie, Trevor Lynch, Guy Probert, Dudley Gardiner, Kevin Tregatha and Eric Banning at Delphi have also donated £1,747 to the cause after taking part in three raft races and coming second in two of them.

Overall Mr Pratt and his supporters have raised almost £20,000 for the charity since he fell ill in 2002.