A 71 YEAR old man from Silsden has just completed a duathlon - a 22km bike ride followed by a 6.8km run - in aid of the charity Kids at School in Nepal (KASIN).

John Peet, who is a trustee of the charity, intended to complete the Skipton Triathlon in April last year, but after it was cancelled because of coronavirus, he decided to honour the sponsorship he had already received by undertaking a duathlon, which he completed in personal best times.

He set his fundraising target to £5,000 and has so far raised more than £4,300 with Gift Aid.

Mr Peet has made annual visits to Nepal for 12 years, and says he has experienced first hand the value of educating children in one of the poorest countries in the world.

“Some kids walk two hours to school and two hours back each day because they know that education will help to pull them and their families out of poverty.

“Sadly, government schools are hugely under-resourced, with poorly trained and motivated teachers,” he said.

KASIN was set up in 2003 and now supports a number of schools in remote areas of Nepal. The Yorkshire based charity has no office, employs no staff, and the trustees claim no expenses, so every pound raised - apart from a very small foreign currency transfer charge - reaches the beneficiaries. The charity knows its funding makes a real difference because, at their own cost, a number of trustees visit the projects every year.

Donations can be made at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnPeet2