A former Chew Valley resident looking to return to his roots embarked on a charity bike ride which raised more than £1,000 for a charity designed to save Britain’s rainforests.

Tom Mellish learned about Britain having temperate rainforests after visiting the rainforests of British Columbia, though he also learned that the size of Britain’s rainforests has shrunk significantly.

Temperate rainforests can be found along the west coast of Britain, and their ecosystems can be categorised by their mild, oceanic climate, high rainfall and abundance of plant life.

He endeavoured to complete a bike ride from London to Dartmoor, home of Wistman’s Wood where the remainder of the UK’s rainforests reside. Tom would also visit Ebbor’s Gorge as part of his journey, the place his father’s family is from.

Starting on September 1, the journey took six days to complete, covering 420 kilometres.

Tom decided to raise money for the Thousand Year Trust. The charity aims not to just preserve Britain’s existing rainforest, but to rejuvenate them and to eventually triple the amount in the UK.

Speaking on the Facebook page announcing his journey, Tom said: “After seeing the temperate rainforests of British Columbia, I was surprised to learn that the UK has its own temperate rainforests.

“However, what remains of the UK’s temperate rainforest is only a fraction of its historic range - only around 1 per cent remain.

“This remaining 1 per cent is under threat thanks to the usual suspects, namely climate change and expanding agricultural industry.”

He had initially set out to raise £500 for the charity, though the support he received allowed him to raise £1,000. By the end of the journey, he surpassed even that, raising £1,275.

Tom is the nephew of Malcolm Mellish, who farmed Chew Valley Fruit Farm in Bishop Sutton for over 60 years.