A city councillor is swapping his shirt and tie for cycling shorts and a helmet to raise money for a youth centre in Wood Farm, Oxford.

Dr Joe McManners is planning to ride 172kms in the south of France to raise money for new equipment at the new youth centre in Titup Hall Drive.

The GP is hoping to complete the tortuous route through the mountainous terrain of the Ardeche region in just one day.

He said: "I'm a bit worried about the distance and the fact I will be climbing up to 3,000 metres in the space of a few hours. At the moment I have been doing half an hour to an hour a day of cycling and I imagine I will need to do a lot of work between now and when I go.

"It depends how quickly I go, but I anticipate it will probably take me somewhere in the region of 10 hours and the last bit of the cycle will be the hardest - it's a 17km climb at the end of the day when I will be knackered.

"My French is OK, but not great. Before I set off I'll make sure I know how to ask for help with a punctured tyre and how to ask for a beer."

Dr McManners wants to raise as much money as possible to help provide new sports and music equipment for the youth centre, which attracts up to 60 youngsters between the ages of eight and 19 a week.

He added: "It will be good to give the kids an opportunity to make the most of their life and to be able to get involved in sports and activities.

"Ideally, if they can get money from other sources, we would like to get a new youth worker on the estate soon and, if not, lots of new equipment."

Wood Farm youth worker Simon Edmondson said he was delighted with Dr McManners' efforts.

He said: "It is indicative of how pro-active and positive Joe is towards youngsters on the estate. We could definitely spend the money on promoting healthy lifestyles and a music centre."