A Barton mother and son team have defied the odds and completed a gruelling tandem cycle ride across the country.

Stephney Hornblow, 65, suffered a health scare last year as she struggled to walk uphill and was finding herself short of breath a lot more than she was used to. At the time, she was morbidly obese and says that the health concerns made her determined to lose weight.

Little more than 12 months after the scare Mrs Hornblow weighed in at five and a half stone less than when she was in hospital.

She started eating a more healthy diet and started to exercise and, before long, her son Jono, 30, managed to get her out on a bike, exploring local areas.

Bitten by the cycling bug, Mrs Hornblow decided the time was right to set herself a challenge which would see her cycle across the country, all in the name of charity. She enlisted Jono to take on the challenge with her, and the pair decided they would take on the journey on a tandem bike.

Jono and Stephney Hornblow started their challenge on Saturday, September 23

They kicked off the first leg of their journey, nicknamed the Hornblow JOGLE, from John O'Groats at the top of Scotland. They arrived at their destination, Land's End, in Cornwall, 13 days later.

Mrs Hornblow said: "It was very hard, but very rewarding!

"We tackled all the hills in Devon and Cornwall and climbing up through Glencoe was spectacular; indeed all the Scottish Highlands are breathtaking.

"It was more mentally challenging than I had anticipated but Jono was tremendous and he kept me going for the five hours day after day."

They averaged a speed of 14.75mph on their 968-mile ride, totalling a total of 65.5 hours in the saddle. Their fastest recorded speed was as they were pedalling down a hill just outside Lostwithiel in Cornwall, reaching a speedy 55mph.

Jono and Stephney Hornblow were all smiles after finishing their challenge

When the pair arrived at Land's End, in Cornwall, they were met by a huge crowd of their friends and family, and Jono had one more surprise up his sleeve.

Mrs Hornblow said: "I'm so glad that we did it and it was so wonderful to arrive at Land's End to a reception of our family and friends.

"It was made even better because when we arrived; Jono proposed to his girlfriend - and she said yes!"

The pair have so far raised £5,000 to be shared between the British Heart Foundation and Cementing Futures, an educational charity which supports children living in the slums of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

They are still accepting donations on their Justgiving page.

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