AIRTON man Alastair Humphreys who has spent the last four years cycling 45,000 miles around the world is back in England.

The 28-year-old zoology graduate and teacher rode out from the Airton home of his parents David and Jenny in September 2001 and was due back on English soil yesterday (Thursday).

His mission throughout, mostly carried out alone, was to raise money and awareness for the charity Hope and Homes for Children, which supports young people affected by war, poverty and AIDS.

He hopes to raise £1 per mile and so far donations have topped the £10,000 mark.

His parents have not seen him since he set off, but have been in regular e-mail contact when the opportunity arose.

In his last e-mail before boarding a ferry from France this week, Alastair wrote: "With the end so close I am divided between great excitement, nerves and sadness that is it nearly over.

"I never thought that when I began my ride that I would actually succeed. The essence for me was not whether I succeeded in the end. It was that I turned a dusty daydream into a reality

"My mind races with memories and I have to remind myself that the end of the ride does not mean the end of my life. I just hope my bike holds up for two more days. England, here I come!"

Details of his epic journey can be found on the website roundtheworldbybike.com. He has also arranged a party at Troubadors in London next Saturday, November 19.

His parents are also organising a local slide show for the weekend of November 26.