A TEAM of retirees have swapped their pipes and slippers for bicycles as they hit the road to raise funds for Brighter Futures.

Alistair Parish, John Wood, Ivan Myatt, John Roe, John Phipps, Brian Mildenhall, Keith Tredget and Gary Prictor – all bar one of whom are over 60 – yesterday cycled 100 miles around Wiltshire with the aim of passing through as many towns as possible.

They arrived at the Great Western Hospital for their first break after going on a 30-mile pedal at around 9.30 yesterday morning.

The team decided to take on the challenge after seeing the wife of one of their number, Heather Prictor, have to make the journey to Oxford for radiotherapy treatment.

They have so far managed to raise just under £7,000, and more cash is expected to flow in over the coming days.

Alistair, 61, said: “We are a riding group of retired leisure cyclists who meet for a 20-mile ride before a pint on a Friday.

“When we found out that Heather was ill we wanted to do something to encourage her through her treatment and to raise money to make a difference to the lives of others who have to go through what she has been through.”

The dedicated troupe spent yesterday morning riding through Chiseldon, Shrivenham and South Marston before arriving at the GWH at 9.30am.

From there they headed on to Cricklade, Chippenham, Royal Wootton Bassett and Wroughton, taking in the hospital’s catchment area.

Alistair added: “We are aiming to do 100 miles averaging around 13 miles an hour.

“It has been fine so far. We have been practicing the route, though 70 miles is the most we have done.

“A year ago we would have been ready to stop and go home now.”

Heather, 52, was one of the people who greeted the riders with refreshments when they arrived at the hospital.

She said: “I was diagnosed with breast cancer last August, which was a huge shock because I was absolutely fine and didn’t feel poorly at all.

“I had surgery in September which was followed by six months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in Oxford.

“To have had so much support from family and friends has been absolutely fantastic.”

Speaking about the need to bring radiotherapy to Swindon, Heather said: “When you finish your treatment you are really tired and having to travel there and back is so much added stress.

“Having a radiotherapy unit in Swindon will make such a difference to people and it can’t come soon enough.”

Thankfully, Heather has since been given the all clear and is firmly on the mend.

So far £1,539,135 has been raised for Brighter Futures. The team is very grateful for every single donation and wish to thank everyone for their support.

Anyone who would like to donate to the cause can visit the website www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.