Riley welcomes his heroes home

A group of Sutton Bridge friends who cycled from Wales to the town on Saturday to raise money for a boy recovering from brain cancer was welcomed with a sign that read “my heroes”.

Riley Watts (11) is in remission and the riders wanted to raise money to send him and his family on holiday following their 18-month ordeal.

The ride took 14 hours, with the group setting off from Wales at 3am after just two hours’ sleep.

Organiser and rider James Barnes said along the way a rider fell and cut his leg open, the group tackled a two-and-a-half-mile climb through the Cotswolds and suffered two punctures.

James said the community went above and beyond, with more than 100 people lining the streets to welcome them home.

Rider James Barnes said of their tired and emotional return: “From Gedney through to Sutton Bridge, there was cars going past beeping horns, waving and cheering us on, members of the public outside on the streets cheering and applauding us, and what a fantastic finish line at the swing bridge as we crossed it.

“There must have been well over a hundred people with posters and banners stretched across the road, cameras flashing everywhere and we were all surrounded by everyone congratulating us

“I can safely say it brought tears to our eyes.

“After such a hard task, it was so great to see how proud our families were of what we’ve achieved

“What made us most proud was seeing such a courageous and humble young lad at the finish line with a massive smile on his face and just loving life cheering us all back home.”

So far, the riders have raised more than £2,500. Any extra money will go to Macmillan Cancer. You can still donate via www.gofundme.com/ride-for-riley