A CYCLING novice braved temperatures of 36C to ride 300 miles through Vietnam to help set up a series of mental health helplines.

Nigel Rees, who wanted to see an unfamiliar country, took up the MIND challenge and spent nine months collecting £2,500 in sponsorship from friends and colleagues.

He and 51 others made the six-day journey from Da Nang to Saigon last month, raising a total of £155,000 to recruit and train helpline operators.

"I'd never done any cycling before and the six months training was quite hard," the 49-year-old said.

"When we were there, it was particularly hard because of the heat, with temperatures reaching around 36C."

The self-employed human resources consultant, of Oaklands, Worcester, said he was overwhelmed by the lack of cars on the roads of Vietnam.

"Cycling is their national form of transport, which is strange to see," he said.

The married father-of-two, who paid particular thanks to Worcester Nomads and Barnt Green cricket clubs for their generous donations, said he considered MIND a worthwhile charity.

"I wanted to do something like this anyway, but there is big demand for their services, helping people who are suicidal or suffering from mental health problems," he said.

"I hope to take part in their China Trek in 2004."

Temporary support relief worker at MIND's Worcester branch, Gemma Wisdom, said the group was extremely grateful to the fund-raisers.

"Its fantastic news," she said.

"We offer a range of services to all sorts of sufferers, which could simply mean a meal in a nice friendly environment at one of our drop-in centres.

"There is still an underlying stigma attached to mental health problems, but the more money we have, the more people we can help."