Dad from County Durham completes kidney cycle challenge

Peter's daughter Hattie supported her father throughout his challenge

A father of three has completed a year-long challenge to cycle for 20,222 minutes to raise money for charity.

Peter Garrod from County Durham set himself the goal after discovering that his kidney function was rapidly declining.

He was born with damaged kidneys, and is now facing the prospect of a transplant.

The 34-year-old completed the challenge during 2022 and raised £7,000 for Kidney Research UK.

Peter and his family

Peter, from Hawthorn, was born with omphalocele, meaning some of his internal organs developed outside his body, and vesicoureteral reflux, meaning his urine travelled the wrong way from the bladder, back to the kidney.

Surgery and medication resolved the problems, but scarring left him with only 60% kidney function.

Peter's kidneys have coped relatively well and he has led an active life, but 30 years on he has started to experience problems.

He said: "My blood pressure went up and I developed gout, which was incredibly painful. My kidney function at my last test was at 29%."

He was told by his doctor that he would probably need a transplant in as little as two years' time.

Peter said the news hit him hard mentally, but after talking things through with his wife, he decided to do something positive and raise money for Kidney Research UK.

Peter's daughters donated their pocket money

Starting with 55 minutes on his bike every day, he decided that he was going to ride for 20,222 minutes in 2022.

He said whenever he struggled for motivation, he thought about the people he had met, saying: "The number of local people who have contacted me who are impacted by kidney disease is overwhelming.

"Hearing their stories is all the motivation I need to stop scrolling on my phone and jump on the bike."

Emma Ronan-Peate, community and events manager at Kidney Research UK, said: "With the backing of the kidney community, Peter has managed to raise £7,000 for vital research that will help people like him, and future generations live a better life with kidney disease."