A train and transport enthusiast has travelled 5,500 miles all over the country - the distance from the UK to Asia - in a week to raise money for charity.

Peter Mugridge, from Epsom, had the idea of completing the Sleeper Challenge, which had not previously been done for charity, and pitched it to the train companies involved.

Over seven days last month, Mr Mugridge, who became deaf at the age of five, completed the trip on all six British sleeper services - trains which accommodate all passengers in beds for overnight journeys.

The journeys saw Mr Mugridge travelling to Penzance, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen.

After each outward journey by sleeper, the first of which started from Epsom, he raced back to London on a day-time train to complete another sleeper service the following evening.

Train companies East Coast, First Great Western, First ScotRail and Virgin Trains provided free travel for the challenge.

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Peter Mugridge was congratulated on his challenge by Chris Grayling MP 

A former pupil at Mary Hare School for the deaf, Mr Mugridge raised money to help fund improvements at the school, as well as for the Railway Children charity, which provides support to street children in the UK, India and East Africa.

Mr Mugridge said: "The challenge is not as easy as it sounds and has taken a year of planning with a team of senior railway managers.

"Checking the timetable was the easy bit - the difficult bit was finding a week that avoided any engineering works that could affect the running of any of the trains, avoiding the busy school holiday times, avoiding bank holidays while still being at a time of year when there is a good chance of reasonable weather.

"On top of all that, it had to fit around my work schedule.

"The event ran very smoothly indeed.

"Every train ran to time and while the days were long there was at least the sleeper for the overnight travel so I was able to stay refreshed and relaxed for the entire week."

To donate to Mr Mugridge for Mary Hare School and the Railway Children visit www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/petermugridge2 and www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/petermugridge1.

Some photographs taken by Mr Mugridge of the landscapes he travelled through:

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