SEVEN dads raised £5,000 after taking part in a 100-mile bike ride across London and Surrey.

The group, who have a personal connection to Duchenne UK, which all the cash will be given to, took part in the Prudential RideLondon event.

John Shippey, whose son, George, 11, lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, took part in Sunday’s ride to raise awareness and funds.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a muscle wasting disease which limits life expectancy, and is most common among young boys.

Dad John, 56, told the Echo: “It was a fantastic day out.

“We started about 8.15am and finished about 4.30pm.

“There were so many accidents which held us up for about an hour-and-a-half.

“It’s not about the time it’s all about raising awareness and money for the charity, and for George.

“George was really proud of us all.

“I’m a little bit stiff today!

“It’s the third time we’ve done it, we might look for a different challenge next year.”

Kerry Shippey, 47, George’s mum, was pleased too. She said: “We want as much awareness as possible for the illness. It’s heartbreaking to see your son like this.

“He’s fully reliant on a wheelchair. He’s on lots of medication and you don’t really want to keep putting them inside of your child.

“He had quite a late diagnosis.

“We had no idea about the illness, we just thought he had large calves because he was sporty.

“Everyone’s so proud of the lads.

“They’ve done so much for this family and the charity.

“The amount of training they did was amazing.”

“We raise awareness of George’s condition through his Facebook page, George’s Journey.

“We sometimes fundraise for Duchenne UK under the name of Cure for George.”

The rest of the group who took part were Ian Dickinson, Lee Fisher, John Barnes, James Robinson and Roy Stevens., all from Billericay, and Alan White who is from Colchester.