THE Bolton man who has raised millions of pounds for a brain injuries' charity is courting Commonwealth Games' visitors to the area.

Former builder Derek Gaskell's plan to charter the Northern Belle -- the Orient Express of the North -- on Saturday, July 27 will offer a regional round trip for hundreds of people.

Already, many people coming to the Manchester and Bolton areas for this summer's Games have booked to go on the luxury journey.

The four-hour dinner trip will provide a cash boost for BASIC -- the Brain and Spinal Injury Charity based at a dedicated neuro centre at Hope Hospital, Salford.

Mr Gaskell, from Lostock, said: "Because there will be hundreds of visitors from so many different countries coming here for the Games, we thought it would be nice to have this kind of trip available."

Mr Gaskell is well-known for his unusual fund-raising ideas.

Since he set up the charity after his wife Dorothy suffered a brain haemorrhage 17 years ago, he has chartered Concorde and arranged various other prestige trips and events.

This latest luxury trip will cost £140 a head, leaving from Manchester Victoria and picking up in Bolton for a trip around some of the North-west's most beautiful scenery.

Bookings are being taken by St Andrew's Travel in Bolton, or contact BASIC on 0161-707-6441 for a brochure.