A RETIRED dentist raised thousands of pounds for an animal welfare charity by completing a punishing 300-mile bike ride through Southeast Asia.

Sian Edwards encountered blistering heat and tropical storms during her ride from Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

The 54-year-old clocked up about 2,500 miles in training prior to last month's gruelling challenge and has so far raised £2,230 for The Brooke charity, which works to improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands horses, donkeys and mules that are put to work in the poorest parts of the world.

Sian, who ran the White House Dental Surgery in Buckhurst Hill for 15 years, said: "The trip was amazing, exhausting, and certainly a challenge.

"The speedo shows I was averaging nearly 18kmph across some very rough terrain, and that I was actually cycling - not including water stops, fruit stops, lunch stops, and the border crossing on foot - for exactly 24 hours."

Sian, one of 34 riders who took part , added: "The cycle leader was Dutch, there was a Frenchman, and a girl from New Zealand - so it really was a multi-national team effort. The group dynamics were superb, enhanced by five Scottish guys who ensured that banter kept us alert; they crossed the finish line in kilts, waving flags of St Andrew attached to their bikes!"

To sponsor Sian, log-on to www.justgiving.com/sianedwards54.