THE boss of a private hospital began the first leg of a marathon cycling challenge that will take him all the way from Essex to Edinburgh.

Rob Rogers, chief executive of Spire Healthcare, which runs the Spire Wellesley in Southend, began his epic journey to Scotland on Saturday.

The journey is being broken into six legs and will see Rob stopping off en route at Spire hospitals to speak to staff and patients. Rob, who is from Surrey, will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Care after his father and sister both died from the disease at an early age.

He said: “In today’s age, cancer is a growing concern and cancer care is very much part of Spire’s ethos.

“In many of our hospitals we work collaboratively with McMillan nurses who deliver fantastic care. My aim is to get as many people in the company to take up cycling as I possibly can.

“If I could build this up to an event where everyone takes to a bike over a weekend and raises monies for good caused like the Macmillan fund, then I would be very proud of this achievement.”

To donate to Rob’s cause, visit www.uk.virginmoney giving.com/team/Spire_Healthcare.