THE family of a Port Glasgow man who passed away earlier this year have raised more than £1,000 in his memory.

John Joseph Hunt was well known in the area having worked in the local shipyards and later at the Knights of St Columba social club as a barman.

He passed away at the age of 75 from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD.

Members of his family decided to take on a challenge in his memory in a bid to raise money for the hospital unit which supported John.

The COPD unit at Inverclyde Royal provided equipment which allowed John to live comfortably in his own home and saw him avoid prolonged periods of time spent in hospital.

In a bid to give back a group of his loved ones decided to set themselves the challenge of cycling around Millport.

Granddaughter Emily Davis, 21, took on the challenge alongside Lynn Davis, Kirsty Hunt, Donna Mulgrew and youngsters Rachel Glancy, 11, Michael Gatens, eight, and Macie Gatens, six.

Despite a few bumps along the way the group completed their cycle in around two and a half hours.

Emily said: “We were overwhelmed by how much support we received from people, it really spurred us on."

With none of the group being experienced cyclists the route proved a challenge but the thought of John pushed them on.

Emily said: “The adrenaline kept us all going and we enjoyed taking in the sights of Millport.

“We knew that my granda would be watching over us throughout the cycle and would be cheering us on.

“Having my gran and family there to cheer us on helped motivate us and make us think positively about the cycle ahead.

“It was really nice that it could be a family event, even though not everyone was cycling they were able to support us.

The cyclists raise around £1,100 for the COPD unit from the cycle and a sale of tablet, macaroon and raspberry ruffles.

Email added: “We are delighted, as it was far more than we had expected to raise.

“We hope that the money will help the COPD unit to continue with their excellent work.

"So many people are affected by COPD and the more people we can help in granda’s memory the better.

“We'd like to thank everyone who has donated, sent us messages of support and helped us to reach our goal."