TEN cyclists, including five youngsters, cycled 30 miles on Saturday visiting 21 churches in the lower Otter Valley on the way.

TEN cyclists, including five youngsters, cycled 30 miles on Saturday visiting 21 churches in the lower Otter Valley on the way.

The group, who were sponsored to raise money for Devon Historic Churches Trust, set off from Newton Poppleford at 9.30am after a hearty cooked breakfast, bought from FORCE cancer charity who was cooking the Great Devon Breakfast in the church hall to raise funds.

Haylor Lass, whose wife Ruth organises the annual bike ride, said: "Churches all over the country were open for Heritage weekend. We went to Budleigh Salterton, then on to Ottery St Mary Parish Church where we had a nice ploughman's lunch.

"The youngsters did very well, it was the promise of biscuits at every church that kept them going."

Haylor and Ruth have been doing the annual ride for more than 20 years and said this year's event was trouble-free.

He said the sponsored cycle was started in Suffolk 30 years ago and is a nationwide fundraising event.

Half of the money will go to Newton Poppleford parish church and the rest will go to the DHCT to help churches in need.