TEENAGE cyclist Simon Elliot has raised more than £2,000 for Britain's wounded war heroes by completing an exhausting 340-mile cycle ride around famous World War battlefields.

Mr Elliot, 19, was one of 300 riders selected to take part in the Battlefield Bike Ride, organised by charity Help 4 Heroes.

During the seven-day challenge he toured some of the most famous First and Second World War battle grounds in northern France, including the Somme and the Normandy beaches, before finishing with a ride past the Cenotaph in Central London.

Mr Elliot, a former Hanley High School pupil, said the event had been "unbelievably hard".

"It was a really big challenge, and there was a massive sense of achievement afterwards," he said. "I have got family who have always been in the armed forces, and I thought it was a really good cause. They do a lot for us and I thought it would be a good way to give something back.

"It was so inspiring to be riding alongside people who have been blinded, or who had lost limbs. It was very emotional."

Mr Elliot, of Upton-upon-Severn, is currently on a gap year before heading to Coventry University to study Motor Sports Engineering. To date he has raised £2,100 for Help 4 Heroes, and it is still possible to donate through his website www.justgiving.com/simonelliott The Battlefield Bike Ride has given him a taste for fundraising, and he is now considering running a marathon for his next challenge.