This summer, six brave cyclists from the Brecon area – Chris Kerr, Clive Thomas, Peter James, Dai Howells, Alun Rees and Ian Owen – supported by crew members Paul Cooper, and “Gripper” Clinch, tackled the 1,000-mile ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just 12 days.

They come from all walks of life – teachers, ex-military, even male voice choristers– but share a love of cycling and the desire to take on a major challenge, while raising money for a fantastic local cause.

All funds raised went to support Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, a fully voluntary 24/7 emergency service covering 700 square miles of Mid Wales. The team receives no external funding and must raise around £65,000 a year to keep going. One of the riders, Chris Kerr, is a proud team member himself.

Chris said: “It was a huge challenge at our age, but we absolutely loved the experience. The generosity of sponsors, friends, family and the general public we met along the way was staggering. The support helped our effort to push ourselves during the numerous tough bits, in order to raise money for this vital service – oh and we had plenty of laughs along the way!”

A cheque for £11,921.57 was presented to Brecon Mountain Rescue Team on Friday night (November 21) at their headquarters on the Brecon Industrial Estate. The cycling team said they would like to thank everyone for their generous donations towards this very deserving cause.

A spokesperson for Brecon Mountain Rescue Team said: “Grateful thanks are extended to the cyclists, Chris Kerr, Peter James, Dai Howells, Clive Thomas, Alan Reese, Alan Owen, and the support crew, Paul Cooper and John Clinch. A special thanks also to the sponsors whose support was critical towards the financial costs of the event. From all at Brecon MRT, thank you very much.”