SICK children and their families will be able to enjoy luxury holidays at the seaside in Wales thanks to gritty efforts of Gwent cyclists.

A team of riders completed a gruelling 225-mile route from Newport to Paignton, Devon, cycling up the peaks of Exmoor and Dartmoor, to raise £1,500 for the Wales-based Kids Cancer Charity.

The 2015 IAC Cycle Challenge was organised by Newport-based system electrical controls business Industrial Automation and Control Ltd, which is based at Queensway Meadows.

It is the third time the business has staged a charity bike ride. The other two rides were from Newport to Tenby and Newport to Anglesey.

IAC Ltd managing director Peter Lewis said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have been able to raise this amount of money for Kids Cancer Charity. The money will help to pay for three holidays for sick children and their families at one of the charity’s caravans at the Welsh coast.

“The ride was very demanding especially the steep gradients in Exmoor and Dartmoor but the thought that we were raising money for such a very good cause helped to keep us going during the tough stages.”

The charity cyclists included a team from Newport accountants Ellis Lloyd Jones and Siemens.

Peter, a keen cyclist who has recovered from heart surgery, said: “The initial idea for the annual bike rides stemmed from a desire to improve the fitness levels of the entire team here at IAC Ltd.”

The 2015 IAC Cycle Challenge entrants included Peter Lewis, Hazel Dobbs, Tony Dobbs, Matthew King, Keith Holland, Richard Ellis and Andrew O’Brien, of Ellis Lloyd Jones and John Richards of Siemens.

Alison Desbrow, of Kids Cancer Charity, said: “We really can’t thank the charity cyclists enough for the wonderful fund raising they have done for us through their efforts. The money raised through the bike ride will all go towards paying for families with sick children to enjoy a holiday and spend valuable time together in one of our luxuriously equipped mobile homes on the beautiful Welsh coast.”