A ROYAL Naval officer from Hampshire has cycled and run through more than 6,000 nautical miles in war-torn Iraq.

Lieutenant Commander David Twist, of Fareham, pictured, used his spare time to lead seven other members of the armed forces in the mission for the sake of men who have lost limbs in the service of their country.

His team of fitness fanatics covered the distance without moving from their base - the headquarters of the Multi-National Force in Basra, south-east Iraq. They used their gym's fixed equipment to cover the equivalent of 6,359 nautical miles - the exact distance by sea from the Iraqi port of Um Qasr, via the Suez Canal, to Portsmouth Naval Base.

Their efforts raised £2,500 in sponsorship money for BLESMA (the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association).

Lieut Cdr Twist said: "Being a member of the Royal Navy I had the idea that it would be interesting to do it port-to-port, following the route a ship would have to travel.

"Initially, I was going to do it by myself, but when I realised that I'd have to do 65 kilometres a day I roped in the guys from the office, and it's been good doing it as a team."

David finished the challenge on the day he returned home to be reunited with his wife, Angela. His parents, Bill and Maureen, live in Fareham, and during his time in the Navy he was based at HMS Nelson, Portsmouth from 1989 to 1993.