COMMUNITY spirit and camaraderie was in full flow last Sunday, as more than 1,000 cyclists saddled up for the ever-popular Farnham Charity Bike Ride.

The weather was thankfully cooler than last year’s scorching hot affair, with even a touch of drizzle as the cyclists departed Castle Street – beginning with the lycra-clad participants of the 75-mile sportive at 8am, followed by the 50-mile, 25-mile and finally the family-friendly 16-mile riders at 9.30am.

The bike ride, organised by the Parent Teacher Association at St Andrew’s School and Farnham Round Table, has become a ‘must do’ event in my family – and I again strapped my five-year-old daughter Ellie to the bucket seat of my squeeky hybrid for a hilly 25 miles through Surrey and Hampshire’s stunning countryside.

Town mayor Pat Evans waved the cyclists on their way, and we were joined in the lanes by riders of all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities – including none other than the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, David Munro.

But the true heroes of the day were the volunteers manning the biscuit-laden rest stops along the route.

This year we also had the added incentive of raising funds for the Herald’s Phyllis at 40 appeal – and our entry was generously sponsored by Jacoba Murray and her Lion and Lamb Yard independent coffee shop Coffee Diem.

All donations, large and small, are most welcome via justgiving.com/fundraising/heraldhospiceappeal.

For more great pictures from the charity cycle ride, see this week’s Farnham Herald.