A CHINGFORD financial advisor and his uncle cycled all the way from London to Paris for charity.

Joshua Phillips, 25, of Chingford Avenue, and his uncle Glen Ashby, a former George Monoux School pupil, were part of a 25-strong team which raised £25,000 for Action Medical Research (AMR)'s Touching Tiny Lives appeal.

AMR funds research to improve the treatment of childhood diseases, and its Touching Tiny Lives appeal aims to raise funds for research to combat the prevalence of premature births.

The cyclists were set the challenge of completing the gruelling 320-mile trip in just four days.

Mr Phillips said: “It was tough, I was aching afterwards, but the feeling of cycling down the Champs-Élysées was incredible.

“Cycling is the number one sport in France, so people were cheering us as we were going along.”

Mr Phillips chose the charity because his niece Stevie was born five weeks premature.

Mr Phillips' team, called We Hate The Hills was just one of many to tackle the challenge.

An estimated 500 cyclists took part in the challenge, which ran from July 22 to 25. CAP: Glen Ashby and Joshua Phillips after their mammoth cycle ride