A BRITISH Army officer who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease is set to attempt a gruelling 500-mile cycle challenge.

Guy Deacon, who is the senior Royal Armoured Corps officer with headquarters in Bovington, has been living with the disease for the past eight years.

On Monday, May 27, he will take on the challenge of cycling around the north coast of Scotland, and the money he raises will go towards The Cure Parkinson's Trust (CPT), the charity dedicated to finding a cure for the condition.

He said: "I understand that cycling is very good for Parkinson's, presumably because it helps with balancing and fine motor and muscle movement.

"However, because my balance is not very good, cycling is a little bit daunting for me.

"Both cycling on busy roads with traffic and quiet roads with fast cars that appear from nowhere makes me rather nervous."

Guy is taking on the iconic North Coast 500, a route famous for its spectacular views which is popular with motorists and cyclists alike.

It starts and finishes in Inverness, and passes through Applecross, Ullapool, Durness and John O'Groats.

Guy, who was commissioned into the Queen's Dragoon Guards, was diagnosed in 2011. He said: "I have been declining steadily since but still have a full-time job.

"The CPT is my chosen charity because it is genuinely trying to find a cure, which we need very badly.

"A cure is just around the corner and I’m trying to help get there."

Around 145,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson's.

CPT deputy chief executive officer Helen Matthews said: "Fundraising support is absolutely critical for the charity to enable us to achieve our goal.

"We aim to cure Parkinson’s and the only way we will do this is through the help of all our supporters - it is as simple as that."