Newbury employees cycle from London to Paris

Husband and wife among riders who raised money by completing 211 mile journey

A HUSBAND and wife from Newbury have helped raise more than £7,000 for charity by completing a gruelling 211-mile bike ride from London to Paris.

Dianne and Richard Garnett, who own the Newbury branch of luxury bathroom retailer Ripples, joined nine other Ripples employees from across the country for the mammoth ride to the French capital.

Leanne Robey, a senior designer at Ripples in Newbury, also took part in the ride.

Despite battling with punctures, fatigue and the odd tumble from their bikes, the team made it relatively unscathed after three days of riding.

Mrs Garnett said: “It was really, really tough and came with a lot of challenges.

“The first day was one of the hardest, it seemed to be one hill after another.

“However, I’m glad I did it and the highlight for me was the way in which the whole team worked together – that and the nice glass of wine when we got to Paris.

“I’m glad we managed to do our bit to raise money for a very worthy cause.”

Ripples is aiming to raise a total of £15,000 this year for its chosen charity, Wherever The Need, which supplies toilets and clean water to villages in India where there is little or no infrastructure.