A PADGATE man has cycled hundreds of miles to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of his grandparents, both of whom had the condition.

Paul Edmonds cycled more than 300 miles from London to Paris for the charity in memory of grandparents Tommy and Joyce Edwards.

The pair lived on Quebec Road in Orford until they died in 2013 and 2014, and Paul smashed his target of £1,500 to raise £2,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

It was also a chance for him to get back on the saddle after a bad cycling accident early last year.

Paul, 38, said: “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but it was very rewarding when I got there.

“It was difficult because I’ve been working away from home a lot and I didn’t manage to do any training, I just rolled up on the day.

“I couldn’t ride for around half of last year – I’d been knocked off my bike a few time before but this was the most serious and I fell out of live with it a bit, so it was good to get back into it.”

A total of 123 cyclists rode the three-day challenge, raising £250,000 for the charity, but it wasn’t without incident for Paul.

He added: “I had an incident on the second day where I avoided a car going round a bend and hit some stones and came off with 210 miles to go and 64 miles to go that day - I rode the rest of it with one hand and one leg.

“The medic wanted me to go in the van for the rest of the day but I’d have to break both my legs before I stopped.

“My family and friends have been brilliant – everyone has been really supportive and generous.

“It was a difficult challenge and my parents had a bit of a moment when I spoke to them from the Eiffel Tower – they were very proud of me.”

To donate go to justgiving.com/Paul-Edmonds2/.