HALESOWEN cyclists have put the cherry on top of the Well of Life fundraising after donating more than £1,000 to the News Group appeal.

The profit’s from Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club’s (HACC) One Hundred Cycling Sportive – a staggering £1,013.49 – has been donated towards our appeal which is installing a water pump in the Gambian village of Sintet.

More than 158 riders entered the event, with both the 100k and the 50k rides being waved off by cycling legend Hugh Porter, who also completed the 50km course riding with the HACC cycling section chairman David Viner.

Paul Barker, event organiser and cycling club coach, said: “A huge thanks to the cycling club members who helped with the organization of the event, the local businesses that advertised the event and Dudley Council, Sandvik and Lord Moretons Tea Room whose support helped make the event so successful.

“I am hoping to surpass the 200 entrants mark for the 2016 event when we will again raise money for a nominated charity.”

The kind-hearted donation has put an end to almost eight months of Well of Life appeal fundraising, which has put the total up to almost £11,500.

After helping to smash our fundraising target, we now want primary school children to design a sign, which will be erected next to the completed well when the school visits the Gambia next March.

The sign will be in tribute to eight-year-old Mustapha who fell to his death last year while trying to reach water in one of the crude, hand-drawn wells, which led to the launch of the successful appeal.

We’ve teamed up with Tesco, who are sponsoring the competition by providing prizes including a band new Hudl2 tablet for the winner, plus five further prizes for our runners-up.

And regardless of whether your child makes the final six, we will be publishing EVERY entry on our website, so they and their family and friends can see their handiwork online.

Entries into the competition should be A4-sized and either landscape or portrait in shape. They can be hand drawn or produced on a computer, but must include the child’s name, age, year group and school attended, as well as a parent/carer name and contact number.

All entries must have the words Mustapha’s Well of Life included in the design and the winning picture will be decided on December 4 by a judging panel including Stourbridge MP Margot James, before being made into a plaque.

Competition entries should be sent to Mustapha’s Well of Life Competition, Stourbridge News, St John’s House, St John’s Road, Stourbridge, DY8 1EH, or emailed to pete.wallace@midlands.newsquest.co.uk, before the deadline of November 26.