Three Weston men took on a gruelling 1,000-mile cycle challenge to raise money for a brain tumour charity.

Jason Smith, Peter Boardman and Richard Thorne all completed the ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End in just nine days.

They raised £50,000 for the Brain Tumour Trust in honour of Jason’s cousin Sam Smith, whose dream was to raise £5,000 before she discovered she had a brain tumour.

Jason ran seven marathons in seven days last year, but said this challenge was even tougher.

He said: “It was tougher because it was nine days on a bike and pushing constantly, and you are in charge of a vehicle on the road and so need to always be aware.

“It was a rough one but we had amazing support from everyone.

“We had awful weather. We had everything from wind, hail, rain and sleet. The Lake District was one of the worst days.

“The one thing we did get to see was the scenery. We live in a beautiful country.

“It all seems surreal now, because after nine days it all becomes a bit of a blur.

“Every day is a tough day.”

Jason said day four proved toughest, as two of the initial eight-man team had to drop out due to the extreme weather.

The team met up with TV presenter Fern Britton on the route, as well as endurance swimmer Sean Conway and Dave Preece, who completed the journey on a penny farthing.

Despite the difficult conditions, the team completed their 109-mile target each day.

When the team reached Weston, they were greeted by the Weston Wheelers.

Jason said: “We had loads of support from other cyclists. So many people came out and met us on the Friday when we got in, and then when we set off from the Grand Pier on Saturday.

“They really helped us when we were on our last legs.”