A TEAM of 21 cyclists have raised over £1,200 for sick children and their families by riding 75 miles.

Staff from Northumbrian Water and their friends rode from Kielder Reservoir in Northumberland to the company’s sewage treatment works at Howdon, Wallsend.

They were once again raising funds for Lanchester-based charity Henry Dancer Days.

Henry Dancer’s mother, Jane Nattrass, set up the charity after losing her son to primary bone cancer when he was 12 years old.

Over the last two years the cyclists have raised £3,330 to support the charity’s work and this year, raised a further £1,202.

Donna Rawlinson, of Northumbrian Water said, said: “We’re always delighted to help good causes and we agreed that Henry Dancer Days is a well-deserved beneficiary for the sponsorship monies raised.

“This was particularly poignant as Henry Dancer Days has been championed by one of the Howdon team members, Laura Wilkinson, who has actively raised the profile of this important charity in her spare time since 2011.”

Mrs Nattrass has raised over £200,000 and gives grants to families who have children with the same condition as Henry.

The charity also runs distraction projects in the Great North Children’s Hospital, sending professional storytellers in to entertain children as they undergo treatment.

Mrs Nattrass said: “I’m so grateful to all those who took part and, in particular Laura, who was Henry’s babysitter when he was young and put us forward as a possible beneficiary.

“I can’t believe how much the team have raised in the past three years. It makes a huge difference to a small charity like ourselves.”

To find out more about the charity’s work, log on to: www.henrydancerdays.co.uk