A MONUMENTAL bike riding challenge has led to more than £9,000 being raised for charity.

Mike Sibley and John Lawrence rode spinning bikes non-stop for 24 hours, raising money for Sebastian's Action Trust.

The pair, who work at Royal Mail's Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre in Langley, took on the feat of endurance to raise money for the charity supporting families of seriously ill children, raising £9,275.45.

Throughout the physically demanding challenge, Mike and John kept smiling, spurred on by colleagues and supporters who kept them going, night and day, with encouragement moral support and refreshments.

Last week Mr Sibley presented Jane Gates OBE, chief executive of Sebastian's Action Trust, with the funds.

She said: "All of us at the Trust would like to extend our gratitude to Mike and John for their inspiring achievement. The training and preparation involved in cycling for 24 hours, along with the after effects should not be underestimated and we appreciate all the time and effort that has gone into making this astounding fundraising challenge a success.

"Every penny raised will make a real difference to the families we support so we would like to say a very big thank you to Mike and John, their families, supporters and also to all at Royal Mail WDC who made this possible."

Sebastian's Action Trust supports families with outreach services, family events and respite holidays.

Based in Surrey, the charity was launched just 12 days before a nine-year-old boy named Sebastian died of cancer in 2003, and now provides children and their families with an opportunity to go on holiday and get away from hospital appointments and treatment schedules.

The charity works across Bucks, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire, and opened its purpose built respite holiday home, The Bluebells, in July 2011 - the first of its kind in the UK.