UK man’s own Tour de France raises £9,000

Help for Heroes has benefited to the tune of £9,000 after one man's mission to organise his very own Tour de France.

Rob Grant of Cheddington set up a team of cyclists to complete a 300-mile journey on the other side of the Channel.

He told the Leighton Buzzard Gazette: "For four days 25 fellow riders and I cycled around the Normandy battlefields raising money for Help For Heroes and, I can say with all honesty, it was the hardest thing I have ever done."

The cyclists visited all five beach landing sites associated with the Normandy Landings during their tiring trek through France.

Mr Grant added that the team had to eat a vast amount of pasta for breakfast and lunch in order to give them the strength to complete the task.

Money is still being collected for the good cause, but the group has already raised an impressive £9,000.