THE chairman of an Oxford theatre is gearing up to cycle more than 1,000 miles - to celebrate the venue's anniversary.

And he hopes to raise £100,000 in the process.

Graham Upton, chairman of the Oxford Playhouse in Beaumont Street, will be cycling 1,100 miles in 18 days, visiting a host of regional theatres.

He will also use the event to kick start the theatre's 70th anniversary campaign.

Mr Upton, 64, said: "This year we want to raise £1m to fund new and exciting projects for the future and I thought this would be a good way to start it off.

"I've cycled quite a bit. I've even cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats before, so I know what to expect on this ride.

"I think the section from Newcastle to Scarborough will be tough as I will be cycling 100 miles through industrial, built-up areas and quite a bit of hilly terrain."

He added: "The Playhouse has been a great success in Oxford, but there are things we would have liked to do but couldn't because we didn't have the money."

Mr Upton said the money would be put towards funding more work with young people, developing its Youth Theatre, working with overseas theatre companies, and possibly bringing in an artist in residence.

He said: "Our new director, Michelle Dickson, started at the theatre this month and the whole idea behind trying to raise the £1m is to give her an endowment to kick off the new projects."

Mr Upton also aims to stop and see a play at every theatre he visits, posting a review for each play on the Internet. He said: "I'm going to be visiting some of the country's biggest theatres, right through to small amateur productions."

He said the production he was most looking forward to seeing was the Alan Bennett play The Lady in the Van, in Yorkshire.

He said: "It's a story about a woman who lives in a van in a well-to-do road in London."

The sponsored cycle ride will start in Oxford on Wednesday, June 4, and end back in the city on Saturday, June 21.

Anyone who wants to sponsor Mr Upton can do so by going to oxfordplayhouse.com/bikeride or by contacting the theatre's development office on 01865 305316.