A Coalville man who was almost paralysed after a motorcycle accident plans to travel 10,000 miles across Russia - on a moped.

Terry Taylor is set to embark on the journey next summer as part of the Mongol Rally - which bills itself as 'Motoring stupidity on a global scale'.

And he plans to raise funds for local Coalville charities, as well as the Cool Earth organisation.

Terry admits that the journey is a dangerous one on such a small bike - particularly as coronavirus restrictions, combined with remote and poor roads, make it even more hazardous.

But the home television fitter says that makes him all the more determined to do it.

The plan is even more remarkable though as Terry had a serious motorbike accident in 2014 which damaged his spine.

And it was only last year that he tentatively returned to the roads on two wheels.

But now he wants to set out on a journey he admits verges on 'madness'.

The event starts on July 17 and is due to finish on September 12, but Terry wants to finish by August 29 - roughly six weeks on the bike.

Terry, 36, also plans to blog the journey with regular updates on his YouTube and Instagram accounts.

"The starting point will be around Prague and the finishing point either in Siberian Russia or Ulan Bator in Mongolia, it's not been decided," he explained.

"On top of that, there's the journey from Coalville to the start line - then we're coming all the way back again.

"There's around 400 teams doing the rally and they'd be in conveys and can help people out."

Terry explained why he wants to attempt such an extreme journey on a moped.

He added: "Partly it's the danger factor but it's also the opportunity of a lifetime too.

'It'll be like the anti-Gumball Rally, where people do it in expensive, million pound cars.

"But here, the whole ethos is that the car has to be worth less than £1,000 and less than 1.2litres, and if you're doing it on a bike, it has to be 125cc or less.

"The challenging factor is that it's something completely out of the box that nobody would expect me to do."

But Terry explained the collision that kept him off the road for five years and still affects him today.

He said: "I had a really bad accident in 2014 when I lived in Leicester, I almost ended up paralysed from it.

"I was on a motorbike, a car pulled out of a side road, crashed into me and sent me into oncoming traffic.

"I ended up with a fractured spine in several places. I didn't ride again for five years. When I did, I was very reluctant and struggled with junctions.

"Everybody a car drew up, I'd panic and think they were going to hit me again.

"It took a long time to rebuild my confidence, but over time, it's got better and better.

"Now, I just want to do the event of a lifetime.

"It may be the last opportunity I have, because of the accident I've been left with a degenerating spine.

"In future, I might not be able to do anything like this again.

"There probably will be some pain doing this, but I'll deal with it. The most painful part will probably be in Mongolia where there are no roads.

"It'll be dirt tracks and mountain roads. The rally's been going since 2005, and there's a start and finish point, but how you get there is down to you."

Riding the route on such a small bike presents problems such as carry supplies and essentials.

But Terry said: "I'll be getting a different bike before the event starts, but I'll have a pannier set with me.

"I'll have a back pack with clothing, but there will be little bit of storage.

"But I hope to use other cars to carry stuff in a convoy, a bit of team work.

"I plan to camp most of the route, but part of the reason I'm doing the crowdfunding is to have the option of a hotel if the weather his bad.

"I plan to chart the entire journey on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, so by the time I get back, there'll be a full journey to follow.

"So I'm also looking for people who can sponsor me with things such as camping equipment, anything to make the journey a little easier.

'The only thing I haven't done is charted the exact journey, I'll do that after Christmas because I'll need to check Covid restrictions in the various countries.

"I plan to prepare by doing a lap of the UK via coastal routes."

Terry explained his choice of charities.

He added: "Cool Earth is helping issues around climate change and communities affected by Covid, but I also want to help charities in the Coalville area too.

"I want to raise a minimum £500 for Cool Earth, £500 for local charities, but anything over my £3,000 target will also go to local charities.

"If someone says you can't do something, I want to say I can and I will."

You can donate to Terry's Go Fund Me page HERE.