A disabled armed forces veteran has completed the equivalent of the Parish Walk in the National Sports Centre (NSC) gym to raise money for charity.

Wheelchair user Mike Ryan from Onchan completed the 85 miles in just under six and a half hours using a hand crank - an exercise machine powered by a user's arms rather than their legs.

The 51-year-old was aiming to raise £500 for the charity ‘Bridge The Gap’, but the amount raised has now exceeded £675.

Mike served in the Royal Engineers throughout the 1990s and was deployed to a number of locations across Europe including Germany and Northern Ireland during his time in the forces.

During his service, he suffered multiple fractures to his legs which has left him needing the use of a wheelchair to get around.

Mike also suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was referred to the NSC gym through the Mental Health Service’s ‘ACTIV4HEALTH’ referral scheme.

The Bridge The Gap charity looks to improve facilities and support for teenagers and young adults with long term health needs in the Isle of Man - a cause close to Mike’s heart.

Speaking about the challenge, Mike said: ‘It went really well, and I was glad to get it finished in just under six and a half hours.

‘I stopped to have a bite to eat which took a bit longer than I expected, but you’ve got to stop at times as you don’t have the use of your arms while you’re doing the challenge to have a drink and things like that.

‘The pressure on the hands is painful. It’s more like if you’ve knocked the palm of your hand rather than blister pain.

‘My shoulders held up quite well, but my back was a bit sore. Saying that, my back is sore when I’m watching a movie at home, so there’s not much difference there!’

Mike had been training for the event since April, and had completed over 900 miles using the machine prior to the challenge.

This means that during the challenge, Mike surpassed the 1,000 mile mark overall since the beginning of his training.

‘It's not the same as doing it for real, and I'm totally aware of that,’ Mike added.

‘I'm not dealing with weather, slopes or climbs, but the machine is savage and very hard on the arms.

‘If the Parish Walk was on flat ground, I would’ve given it a go - but you can’t get a wheelchair to go up the Sloc!’

He added that he hopes people that both use and don’t use wheelchairs will take inspiration from the challenge.

He said: ‘I think it's a good platform for showing that, yes there's a wheelchair, but take away the need of the wheelchair as part of the judgement and see what people can do.’

If you wish to donate or find out more about Mike’s challenge, you can do so by visiting https://tinyurl.com/3wczv2dy

Alternatively, if you would like to find out more about the Bridge the Gap charity and what they do, you can visit https://bridgethegap.im/