Salvation Army Wyndham City soldier Les Porter has saddled up for another Wyndham 1000.
For the past eight years, Mr Porter has ridden 1000 kilometres on his trusty tricycle to raise funds for his Salvation Army corps.
Mr Porter has an acquired brain injury after being hit by a car more than 25 years ago and has limited use of the left side of his body.
But he said nothing would deter him from completing his annual fundraising ride.
The eighth Wyndham 1000 was launched at Pacific Werribee on Saturday. Mr Porter plans to ride 37 kilometres a day over four weeks.
He will be joined by members of the Wyndham Rotary and students from five local schools.
Over the past seven years, the Wyndham 1000 has raised about $83,000 for the Salvation Army’s Wyndham City Corps.
So far this year, it has raised about $20,000.
Mr Porter said the funds would go towards initiatives in Wyndham which help victims of family violence, homeless people and families who need food assistance.
Mr Porter said that as part of the Wyndham 1000, he would also be promoting Collect a Can – an initiative started by the Salvation Army about four years ago to collect cans of food for people in need at Christmas.
“I do the ride, but the money, cans and all the support comes from the community,” he said. “I’m continuously amazed at the generosity of our community.”
Cans of non-perishable food and donations to the Wyndham 1000 can be made at the Salvation Army, 211 Watton Street, Werribee.
