Fifty staff from Reading contract catering firm BaxterStorey gave up their normal Sunday lie-ins to peddle their way to £50,000 for charity.

The team, who work at the company’s HQ at Thames Valley Park, jumped on their bikes to take part in the famous London to Brighton race.

After completing the 54-mile course in aid of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the team celebrated their achievement with a barbecue on the beachfront.

Deputy chief executive William Baxter said: “BHF do a magnificent job in researching, educating and supporting people in the UK about heart disease and we’re keen to play our role in assisting their efforts.

“The bike ride is a great way to help our team keep healthy and enjoy fundraising, but most of all it’s great fun.”

Earlier this year the company created the BaxterStorey foundation with the aim of raising more than £100,000 for charitable causes by 2009.