STOURBRIDGE man Chris Edwards raised more than £1,000 for Stourbridge’s What? Centre after successfully completing the Vélo Birmingham cycle ride.

Mr Edwards has to date pulled in £1,200 for the Coventry Street based advice centre for young people, aged 13 to 25, after completing the gruelling 100-mile bike ride which started and finished in Birmingham and took cyclists on a tour of the Black Country, South Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

The 46-year-old change management consultant said the ride was his biggest cycling challenge to date since taking up the sport two years ago.

He said of the experience: "It was hard work, particularly due to the hills along the first half of the route, but was really satisfying to complete it."

Mr Edwards, who is a feoffee and governor at Old Swinford Hospital school, was also delighted to raise money for a charity which does "amazing work to help young people to deal with all of the challenges they face".

He said: “I know from personal experience the benefit that regular counselling can bring to adults and children alike, so when I entered Vélo Birmingham, I asked my own counsellor for a charity recommendation. She suggested the What? Centre.

"I went along to see them for myself and was absolutely blown over by what I found. It took a matter of seconds to decide they were the perfect charity for me.

"It's a reflection of the world we live in that the centre is completely inundated by requests for help but they are completely reliant on funding for the amazing work they do.

"So it was with great pride that I was able to raise this money to help them, as I know every penny will be put to great use.”

Chief Officer of the What? Centre, Julie Duffy, said: “It was a terrific effort on Chris's behalf to both complete the ride and to raise so much."