A RETIRED prison officer has embarked on a charity cycle ride from HMP Isle of Wight to Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides.

Michael Coleran left the Island on Monday, April 1, to raise money for Cardiac Risk in the Young.

He is undertaking the challenge in memory of his brother Keith Coleran who was also a prison officer at Parkhurst, who died in hospital shortly after falling ill while on night duty on B Wing in February 1981.

Michael joined the prison service in July 1975 at Parkhurst as an officer on B Wing, was later transferred to HMP Preston and retired from the prison service in 2005.

One of the first people Michael met on his first day as an officer was an officer who hailed from Stornoway. He joked with this officer about doing a cycle ride to Stornoway from the Isle of Wight but didn’t get around to it until 2012 —some 37 years later.

On that challenge, Michael set off from Sandown and took 14 days to complete the 900-mile journey, raising £2,000 for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Keith.

This time round, 44 years after Michael's first day as a prison officer and not long before his 69th birthday, Michael is repeating the journey.

He is riding solo with no support.

On departure, he had already raised more than £3,500.

To donate, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran and to follow Michael's progress, find Mike's Isle to Isle Ride on Facebook.

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