An appeal to fund power-assisted wheels so a paralysed builder can regain some independence has raised more than £1,600 in its first week.

Six amateur cyclists hope to raise £5,000 by riding 500 miles from Jake Pengelly’s Sidmouth local, the Marine, to Amsterdam – and they have been blown away by people’s generosity.

His stepdad Laurence Graves and five of his friends, Brendon Agar, Chris Small, Craig FitzHenry, George Powell and George Fallows are embarking on the challenge in September.

“As a group we have been amazed by people’s generosity,” said Brendon.

“We’ve received a lot of support from people around the area with words of encouragement, which has been really good for everyone’s morale.”

Jake, who had a promising career as a builder, is unlikely to ever walk again after a split-second accident when he performed a front flip at home.

Power-assisted wheels will help him get around on his own more easily.

His family’s long-term goal is for the 28-year-old to benefit from pioneering physiotherapy in America, but they will need to raise £20,000 for six weeks of treatment.

? A link for the appeal website, which should have fed through to a Paypal page, was misprinted in last week’s Herald. We apologise for any confusion caused.

The page can now be reached via www.journeyforjake.co.uk or by searching for ‘Journey for Jake’ on Facebook.