A CANCER survivor cycled 250 miles in one day to raise money for a charity very close to her heart.

Westbury resident Nicki Wills completed the 250-mile challenge to raise funds for Turn2us – the charity that supported her when she was recovering from cancer last year.

Miss Wills, alongside her partner Jon, set off on the challenge at 8.50pm on Saturday, July 9 and returned home just after 8pm the next day, cycling around 125 miles each way.

Their total cycling time was 18 hours and 20 minutes and Miss Wills has exceeded her fundraising target, raising over £1,500 for the charity.

She said: “It was tough going at times, but I feel happy and proud to say we’ve done it.

“Thank you so much to everyone who supported us. Raising funds for Turn2us means that they can help more people experiencing extreme financial hardship get back to stability and build better futures for themselves and their families.

“After receiving help from the charity, it feels great to be able to put something back in so that someone else can be helped.”

While recovering from cancer, Miss Wills also lost her dad to cancer.

He was a keen cyclist and cycled 250 miles in a 12-hour time trial in 1961, which is what inspired Miss Wills to take on the challenge.

The route she took involved pedalling to her dad’s old cycling club in Worcestershire and back again.

Zena Carter, head of fundraising at Turn2us said: “Congratulations to Nicki and Jon on their amazing achievement. We are incredibly proud and thankful for all their hard work in raising a fantastic fundraising total which will really help us in our fight against poverty in the UK.”

For more information about the charity, visit Turn2us.org.uk and to find out more about Miss Wills’s challenge, visit: Justgiving.com/Nicki-Wills.