A RECORD £200,000 has been raised from this year's Fred Whitton challenge.

A presentation evening took place last Thursday (June 19) with riders departing Broughton-in-Furness at 6.30pm for a ride around Coniston Water before finishing at the Prince of Wales, Foxfield.

There, family, friends and supporters of the event gathered for refreshments and reflections on another successful event.

The cycling time trial raises money for various charities including the Cumbria Macmillan Cancer Support, and this year alone has brought in a total of £200,000.

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One of the biggest cheques presented on the night went to Macmillan Cancer Support who were presented with a cheque for £125,000.

Sue McDonald, Macmillan fund-raising manager for Cumbria, said: “The total raised from the Fred Whitton challenge this year is simply unbelievable.

"Macmillan Cancer support is very proud to be associated with the Fred. We are so grateful to the Lakes Road Club and friends for the hard work they have put in over the past 15 years, under the leadership of Paul Loftus – they have all given so much of their own time to grow this fantastic event to what it is today.

"This is very much appreciated, both by Macmillan and the local people affected by cancer. There simply aren’t words to express our gratitude.”

Other local charities to benefit were the Duddon & Furness Mountain Rescue team, who received £20,000; The North West Air Ambulance and the Great North Air ambulance received £15,000 respectively and various other charities also benefited from the ride.

Organiser, Paul Loftus said, "It's a tremendous achievement and we're moving steadily closer to raising our target of £1 million.

"After the fantastic response we have had this year we are sure we can achieve this in 2015, what started of as a memorial event for one of our well respected club members has now become an major international event."

2014 was different from all previous ‘Fred’s’ as the event moved from Coniston to Grasmere in order to accommodate more riders and provide a larger facility to run the event.

Organisers said this had proved to be a big success and and the date has already be set for next year's event on May 10.

The event is held in memory of the late Fred Whitton of the Lakes Road Club, who died of cancer at the age of 50.

The event was first held in 1999 and is held each year within the Lake District. This year’s event attracted more than 2,000 riders to its entry list.

More details about the event can be found at the following website: www.fredwhittonchallenge.org.uk