Antony Butcher, 32, completed his three-month challenge on Wednesday to raise money for people living with multiple sclerosis. She received a £2,000 donation from Dench, 87, via a check posted to his home in June. The biker then explained that his father was the actor’s daughter’s dentist. Butcher, who works in student support at the University of Leeds, decided to take on the challenge in honor of his mother, Theresa, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was a teenager. He told the PA news agency: “After five years of planning and three months of cycling, crossing the finish line seemed unreal. I’m still trying to get over it. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and am so grateful for all the support I have had. The best part of the trip was all the wonderful people who gave me rides, paid for my meals and cheered me on. I can’t find the words to describe how I feel today – I can barely even begin to process it.” Butcher, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, started his journey in New York’s Times Square in April. He climbed about 120,000 feet (36,600 meters) along the way, which is four times the height of Mount Everest. Butcher with his mother, Teresa, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was a teenager. Photo: Antony Butcher/PA He said his mother had been following his journey for the past three months and described her support as “unbelievable”. “I was talking to my mum along the way and it was incredible to have such love and support from her. He had a little map on the wall tracking my progress and I can’t wait to see it now that I’ve crossed the finish line.” However, he admitted that he would have to do one more thing before they could be reunited. “I’ve gone for the Forrest Gump look. My wife has already booked me in for a haircut.” The cyclist was greeted at the finish line in San Francisco by his wife and volunteers from the MS Society. He said: “When I first flew out, I remember saying goodbye to my wife and thinking, ‘Why did I let myself in?’ To say that I’ve cycled across America is just unbelievable. I encountered some of my toughest climbs while cycling at altitude in the desert with nothing between the towns where I started and arrived each day. The hardest part was the hills of Nevada, the most mountainous state in America.” The 32-year-old, whose first cycling challenge, 15 years ago, was a ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, which raised £3,000 for the MS Society. Photo: Antony Butcher/PA Butcher has been raising money for charity for nearly 20 years. He undertook his first challenge aged 17, cycling across Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats, raising £3,000 for the MS Society. “MS is a horrible condition. It’s horrible to watch someone you love fight an unwinnable battle and know there’s nothing you can do to help them,” she said. “There is nothing I can do to help my mum but maybe the money raised to help people living with MS and research into the disease can help other people out there avoid this terrible condition ».
