Aston Villa FC club masseurs Alex Butler and Andy Smith cycled into Craven at the end of last week.

The two men were riding from Glasgow to Birmingham to raise £250,000 for blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, a charity synonymous with the Calendar Girls.

The fundraiser was in support of their club captain Stiliyan Petrov who was diagnosed with leukaemia in March and joining them on the ride was former England international and leukaemia survivor Geoff Thomas.

They set off on day four of their 400-mile Pedal for Petrov challenge from the Old Hall Inn, Threshfield.

“As masseurs for AVFC, we’ve grown to know and love Stiliyan over the past five years. Stiliyan has always been there for us and as a small token of our appreciation we have decided to embark on this epic challenge.”

Jonathan Andrews, fundraising director at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: “We are inspired by Alex and Andrew taking on this 400-mile Pedal for Petrov challenge. We are so grateful that they are supporting Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research’s life saving work.

“The valuable funds they are raising will help us find better treatments and cures for patients with blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.”