A KIND-HEARTED Tranent man raised £3,000 for charity after a unique cycling fundraiser.

Peter Hardie cycled on an exercise bike for 24 hours, outside his work on Edinburgh’s Hanover Street, to raise money for cancer charity It’s Good 2 Give.

His efforts, which saw him stop only for toilet breaks and to swap a pillow he was sitting on, have helped raise £3,100 so far, with more donations expected to come in.

Peter, who works for HSBC, was delighted with his total and said he had a lot of support from passers-by.

He said: “It’s brilliant to have raised so much.I didn’t have a total in mind beforehand, because to raise any money is good, but to have £3,100 with more to be collected is brilliant. Obviously it was during the festival, and there were lots of people about, and a lot of them stopped to wish me well – there was even an MSP who stopped for a bit.

“It was good and there were no problems – I think people were worried I’d get a bit of bother from clubbers, but there was none at all.”

Peter, of Coal House Neuk, admitted there were some difficult spells during the 24-hour challenge, which started at noon on Friday, August 26.

He added: “It was much harder than I had thought.The toughest bits were in the middle of the night, around four or five o’clock when the pubs had emptied and there wasn’t really anyone about. The last few hours were difficult – I was in agony by the end.”

The 38-year-old also told the Courier how he found out about the work of It’s Good 2 Give.

“I heard about them through work at HSBC, which was looking for a charity to support a few years ago.

“We decided it would be a smaller cancer charity and came across It’s Good 2 Give.

“They support children going through cancer treatment and their families, and are currently building their Dream Retreat Home for families to spend time together.”

Peter’s fundraising efforts are set to continue as he prepares to take on the Scottish Half Marathon in East Lothian on September 18.

Visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/mt/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=PeterHardieJnr