An Essex Chronicle photographer got on his bike for charity and pedalled from London to Brighton to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Nick Obank, (23), from Broomfield swapped his camera for a mountain bike to cycle the 56 miles between London’s Clapham Common and Brighton.

He joined around 27,000 cyclists in some of the hottest weather of the year so far to make the road trip to Brighton’s sea front.

But that wasn’t enough for the intrepid snapper and his uncle Mick Obank and cousin James Obank – they decided to cycle to the start point through London’s bustling streets from Liverpool Street Station.

Nick roped in Chronicle newsroom staff, reporters and photographers to sponsor him on his epic journey.

He is currently counting how much he has raised, but the total is fast approaching £100.

Nick said: “The trip went pretty smoothly, the only shock to the system was having to ride up Ditchling Beacon about a mile and a half from Brighton. That was hard work.

“I usually go to the gym about three times a week and was going to regular spinning classes in training for the ride.

“This is the first time I have done anything like this but my uncle does the ride every year. We all worked together to push ourselves to the end and crossed the line together at about 2.30pm after setting off at around 8.15am.”

Nick, who originally hails from Australia’s Gold Coast and joined the Chronicle six months ago, plans to continue his fundraising by running the London Marathon next year.

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