CWMBRAN staff have raised £20,000 in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support after completing a charity cycle ride.

Zodiac Seats UK, based in Llantarnam Industrial Park reached the amount after a team of 160 riders completed a 40 mile cycle ride along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The company’s CEO, Paul Strothers, who joined the riders, said: "We originally set out to raise £10,000 so to fundraise more than double that amount is an outstanding performance."

The Ride For Life event grew from an original idea by the stores’ team leader, Gareth Bright, who for the previous two years had organised smaller events in memory of a colleague who passed away after battling cancer.

Losing another colleague to cancer only a year later was the trigger that inspired Mr Bright to make the event even bigger.

The riders, made up of staff, family and friends, accompanied by three lorry loads of bikes, made the trip to the starting line in Brecon, before departing to the Zodiac Seats UK headquarters in Cwmbran. After two hours and 40 minutes, the first riders arrived back with the rest of the team arriving at a steady pace throughout the afternoon.

They were greeted by relatives, friends and colleagues at the finish line and entertained by Newport City Radio.

The company would like to thank the riders, support crew, volunteers, St John Ambulance, Rivers and Canals Trust, Gwent Police, and all who donated.

The group hope to make next year’s cycle ride even bigger so that they can raise even more money for charity.

For more information or to participate please contact hrzodiacseatsuk@zodiacaerospace.com or to donate please visit http://www.justgiving.com/company/zodiac