A GROUP of youngsters from North Somerset raised a whopping �2,000 following a charity bike ride.

The nine children, mostly from Portishead and Barrow Gurney and aged between eight and 13, rode for 26 miles between Bristol and Bath and back again on October 20.

The route was completed in four hours, with some children completing it in an even faster time.

The money raised from the event will be used to help fund a Youth in Action project, called Za, which last year saw a group of 17 young people from South Africa visiting North Somerset and performing a number of concerts across the district.

It is hoped the �2,000 raised will go toward arranging a similar trip for next year.

Taking part in the bike ride were Millie Shelley, Max Penney, Charlotte Boddy, Matthew Boddy, Ella Henus, Annabelle Wade, Ellen Robinson-Cook, William Kerswell and George Briggs.

In Nkomazi in South Africa, Za helps to look after a generation of vulnerable children many of whom have become orphans due to HIV and Aids.