JACK Davies never misses a copy of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph - even at the Equator!

Jack, 52, of Rochdale Road, Walsden, Todmorden, took a copy of his favourite paper with him when he went to Kenya on a charity cycle.

Jack was one of 63 British cyclists who took part in the Ride the Rift Challenge - a 404km bike ride across Kenya's Great Rift Valley.

The ride was organised by the charity I CAN, which helps children with speech and language difficulties.

Jack, a former primary school teacher, wanted to help a children's charity and had always wanted to go to East Africa.

The riders became quite a spectacle for the local people.

"They came out and lined the road, to see all these white people on bikes," he said. "It was very, very enjoyable."

But Jack, who is married to Joan and has three children and two grandchildren, said the cycling was not always easy - especially as he had not been on a bike for several years before starting to train for the ride in summer. He said: "One day we had a 30km hill to get up, but I managed it. I did all the route without having to push the bike at any stage or put it in the van!"

"We also had to do 10km through the rainforest, and being rainforest, it rained. And it wasn't just rain - it was like going through a waterfall.

"We couldn't see anything and the track was very muddy. The T-shirt I had on that day still won't wash clean."

Jack said even the better roads left a lot to be desired. "There are holes all over the place and if you are not careful you hit one of them," he said. "The drivers didn't seem bothered about what side of the road they used either."

Jack raised £2,000 for I CAN, which is. stablishing a national network of early years nurseries to help pre-school children with speech and language difficulties.

Gill Edelman, chief executive of I CAN, said: "Jack has made a real difference, and his efforts in Kenya will benefit thousands of people across the UK."

The Kenya trip wasn't Jack's first taste of adventure. A keen scuba diver, he has taken part in coral conservation projects in Belize and Borneo.

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