A veteran of the Royal Marines and British Army has participated in the Royal British Legion's cycling fundraiser, Pedal to Paris.

Along with around 70 other cyclists, Charlie Ridley of Cumbria, 65, rode from Danson Park, in London, to Paris, in France, from Thursday, September 5 to Sunday, September 8.

He was joined by veterans, Royal British Legion staff, and supporters on the 284-mile journey, which took the group through London, Kent, and northern France before finishing at Les Invalides - the historic Paris landmark originally built to care for veterans, which is also the burial site of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The charity ride was followed by a remembrance service at the Arc de Triomphe on Monday, September 9.

Mr Ridley, who joined the Royal Marines at 16, temporarily moved to the Army to do a catering course.

He ended up transferring permanently to the Army's Royal Armoured Corps, where he trained as a chieftain tank driver and radio operator.

He served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles before being medically discharged in 1979 at the age of just 21, having sustained serious injuries and PTSD.

As well as the injuries, which have affected him ever since, Mr Ridley's health was further impacted when he contracted sepsis seven years ago.

The Royal British Legion has, said Mr Ridley, been for him a "beacon of light for over 40 years."

Due to his medical afflictions, Mr Ridley rode to Paris on a specially built tricycle.

Those wishing to sponsor Mr Ridley can still do so at https://royalbritishlegion.enthuse.com/pf/charlie-jeffrey-ridley