THE Manchester Evening News bike team cycling for the Kirsty Howard Appeal were due to arrive at the Scottish home of the legendary Loch Ness monster - but kept their eyes firmly on the '20,000 target they hope to raise for the Francis House children's hospice in Didsbury.

In fact, as soon as the familiar yellow shirts of the six-strong team crossed the Scottish border they were astonished by the amount of money that started rolling in from generous onlookers.

Mark Rix, the M.E.N deputy managing director, and the other riders were amazed by the response of people who lined the route and dug deep into their pockets when they realised what the bike ride was for.

Mark said: "We were stunned by the generosity of the people. It was just amazing to see people handing over '10 and '20 notes without any hesitation. The first time we stopped we collected between '300-'400 in no time at all."

The team were today heading from Glencoe for a muscle-sapping ride to Dingwall, 10 miles of north of Inverness.

The other riders are Paul O'Halloran, M.E.N's general advertisement manager, David Healey, deputy postal manager, Ian Marshall from Royal Mail and Phillip Tonge, business consultant at Accenture.

To donate, log onto www.manchesteronline.co.uk/cycleride. Or send a cheque payable to M.E.N Kirsty Appeal to Manchester Evening News, 164 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3RN.

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