A CIVIL servant from Leyland will be helping to keep the wheels of charity turning next month when he takes part in a national motorcycling event.

The National Rally on July 1 and 2 is one of the motorcycling calendar's most eagerly anticipated events and Dave Barton, who works at Preston Benefits Agency, will be participating to raise money for the charity Mencap.

Organised by the Auto Cycle Union and the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF), Dave said the rally is not a race, more a test of navigational skills.

Dave, who is also a volunteer representative for the BMF, told The Citizen exactly what the National Rally entails: "Up to 2,000 riders will be taking part, either riding alone or in pairs."

There will be 50 designated checkpoints all over England and all riders must pick one to start from.

There are different levels at which riders compete, and each level has a different approximate distance in miles which must be met, and a different number of checkpoints which must be passed through - the skill is in planning a route which meets all the different criteria without exceeding the mileage.

Dave said: "It does get quite confusing, because there are all sorts of strict sub-rules too, for example the checkpoints you pass through have to be within a certain amount of miles of each other, and you must take breaks at specific intervals."

Dave is excited about the rally because this is his first attempt. He and his co-rider David Malley, a work colleague, are hoping to cover between 245 and 394 miles, making them qualify for a Bronze finishers award.

The money raised from sponsorship will go towards funding the vital work of Mencap's community support teams who provide local expertise, information and advice to people with learning disabilities and their families.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Dave can call him on 0797 1519004.