STAFF at a bank have raised more than £1,000 to help care for cancer sufferers.

Lloyds bank on Front Street in Stanley had an exercise bike in the customer area from 9am to 5pm every day last week.

Twelve members of staff took part in the challenge to cycle the distance to the regional office in Warrington and back – some 300 miles – and managed to clock up 383 miles in total over 40 hours.

Customers donated £518 and the bank itself chipped in a further £500.

Branch manager Dale Wighton said: “The effort they have put in does not surprise me, but I am very proud of them.

“Most of them have been touched in some way by cancer, so it was a cause close to their own hearts.

“We had a tremendous response from our customers who gave them plenty of words of encouragement as well.”

The money is being donated to Marie Curie and will be used to provide care to people suffering from cancer in the region.

Lisa Corfield, fundraising manager for the North-East and Cumbria, said the money would pay for two full days of care from a Marie Cure nurse.

She said: “It is vital for us a charity for us to have the support of the local community."