THREE garden centre workers raised more than £7,000 in a charity bike ride to Paris.

Brian Hawkes, 50, of Shirley Gardens, Basildon, Tony Graham, 48, of Lovelace Avenue, Southend and Mark Goddard, 47, of Albion Road, Westcliff, all work at Alton Garden Centre on the A127 and took on the London to Paris bike ride for Havens Hospice, Thundersley.

The three friends cycled for four days - and raised £7,130.89.

Brian Hawkes, 50, said it was brilliant.

He added: “At the garden centre we have been very supportive of Havens Hospice so it only seemed right that we should raise money for the charity. “I do a lot of bike riding and I was talking to Tony and Mark about doing a charity bike ride and that’s now it came about.

“We left London on July 20 and we arrived in Paris on July 23. The total journey was 300 miles which is the longest I have ever ridden.

“We started at Crystal Palace in London from there we rode to Dover then got the ferry over to Calais, we then rode through France and then onto Paris.“As we hit the finish line we could see the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. which are both It was amazing sights.”

Mr Hawkes said he wanted to thank the public for their generosity and support in donating money.

He added: “We raised the money by having collection buckets throughout the garden centre and we also had various sponsors including Alton Garden Centre.”