For years, biker John Sedwards has dreamed of crossing the Sahara on a motorcycle - and he hopes it will come true next month.

John, a project manager at the Atomic Energy Authority, Harwell, is planning a 5,000-mile solo round trip to Dakar in Senegal - and hopes to raise more than £1,000 to help deaf children.

John Sedwards

John, who lives in Tweed Drive, Didcot, said: "I am 28 and promised myself I would ride across the Sahara by the time I was 30."

He is single, although he has a long-suffering girlfriend who has to contend with a passion for biking which includes a heated garage complete with carpet for tinkering with bikes.

John decided to use his dream trip to fundraise for the Oxfordshire Hearing Support Service, which helps families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, after his next door neighbours' child was born deaf. Niamh, the 15-month-old daughter of Adrian and Julie Scott, wears a hearing aid and still undergoing exhaustive hospital tests to try to establish the cause and possible treatment.

Mrs Scott said: "We receive wonderful support in all sorts of ways from the Hearing Support Service which provides hearing aids, equipment, advice, information and help in countless ways."

The county council service has to cope with a limited budget and depends partly on voluntary donations.

John bought a second-hand Honda 650 dual sport motorcyle for his African adventure, and has spent six months stripping and rebuilding the machine. He will have to carry his food and shelter on the machine as well as spares and fuel for the six-week journey,

He said: "I will be using a satellite navigation system to find my way through Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal. My main challenge will be 300 miles - each way - across soft sand in the Western Sahara, where there are no petrol stations."