A HAMPSHIRE policeman is today getting on his bike in a bid to raise cash for two local charities.

Sergeant Phil Smith will spend a week riding his motorbike 1,500 miles around Britain to support good causes close to his heart.

The officer, who lives and works on the Isle of Wight, is raising funds for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and the Motor Neurone Disease Association on the Island.

He was moved to act after his wife Bessie was last year diagnosed with the condition, which attacks cells in the body, causing lost mobility in the limbs and difficulty speaking, swallowing and breathing.

Inspired by the TV exploits of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, who rode their motorbikes around the world, he has decided to travel around the country passing through locations associated with former island governor, Lord Louis Mountbatten.