CHRISTMAS came early for the Jigsaw School at Dunsfold Park, thanks to the gift of £10,000 raised by a penny farthing challenge.

Intrepid Neil Melville-Rae, a member and sponsor of The Penny Farthing Club, took on the challenge of cycling his penny farthing from Marble Arch in London to the Arc d’Triomphe in Paris, back in July.

He completed the 276 miles, which included 24-miles across the Channel by kayak, in 26 hours 41 minutes. The money he raised is being combined with funds raised by Jigsaw teacher Hayley Wadham, and ex-teacher Liz Ruff, who competed in this year’s Brighton Marathon.

The total amount will be used to refurbish a school sensory room, which teaches pupils diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Jigsaw fundraiser Sally Ward said: “Our sensory room is enjoyed by all of our pupils and is so well used that we have been wanting to refurbish it with new equipment for quite some time.

“Thanks to Neil’s amazing fundraising efforts we are looking forward to introducing our pupils to the newly named ‘Melville-Rae Sensory Room’ when it opens in the New Year.

‘On behalf of all the pupils and staff here I would like to say a huge thank you to him for his incredible support.”

Donations are welcome at:www.justgiving. com/fundraising/PennyFarthingLondonToParis