Amputee, 72, travels 1,200 miles using only his bus pass

A 72-year-old amputee from Greater Manchester is travelling 1,200 miles (1,931km) across the UK using only his bus pass.

Former transport worker Barry Mackleston, from Wythenshawe has set out on his "bus pass challenge" - aiming to travel in his wheelchair from John O' Groats in Scotland to Land's End in Cornwall.

Barry set off on the seven-day bus-only route on 31 March with plans to raise money for the local rugby club that brought him "back into the world" after a life-changing accident.

"It's going to be a buzzing time," Barry told BBC Radio Manchester. "I'm really excited."

Barry raised more than £1500 in 2025 when he undertook his first bus pass challenge - completing a bus-only journey from from Manchester to London in a bid to improve run down facilities at Wythenshawe Community Rugby Club.

As was the case in his previous challenge, Barry said all money raised this time will go towards the rugby club - where Barry has been a volunteer since losing his leg in an accident five years ago.

Barry said the club's positive impact on his mental health was "beyond words". He added: "I was in a coma for a huge length of time, and you wake up, and your whole life is changed. Rugby kind of brought me back into the world again."

Speaking to Radio Manchester from the first bus stop in Orkney on Tuesday, Barry said: "I can't see the club die and that's where we're going with this if we don't if we don't get the work done that we need to get done.

"We've been struggling now for two years to get sort of connected with the council and get a move on with moving into premises.

"The premises we have are not good - the floor's falling out, things don't work, we've been rebuffed all the time, and we still need to keep collecting money to try and get the club into a position where it is.

"This whole challenge is about raising money really for the kids - because we haven't been able to do the work we wanted to do last year to make the hub better for them.

"It's just making sure that the club has enough money to function and make sure that we actually get the job done," Barry added.

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