A team of Royal Air Force officers have cycled the length of the UK for charity - with a Carlisle man at the heart of their efforts.

Sean Moran is part of the support team for the six riders who have just completed the huge Land's End to John O'Groats ride.

They have been raising funds for the RAF Association and the RAF Benevolent Fund, which help veterans and service personnel, as part of the force's 100th anniversary.

Their 11-day journey, named the Century Cycle, included two nights in Carlisle, as the team spent one of their rest days in Sean's home city.

Those taking part in the ride - which is about 950 miles in total - all work on E-3D Sentry aircraft at RAF Waddington in Lincoln.

Sergeant Moran, 42, who went to Morton School and is a big Carlisle United fan, said: "It has all gone pretty smoothly, considering the riders have been doing between 90 and 100 miles a day.

"The last couple of days in the Highlands saw the weather a bit bad, but all through England it was good and there were no real misfortunes.

"In the three-man support team our role has been to keep an eye on the riders constantly and stay in communication with them.

"We've got a tracker on them and also use walkie-talkie radios. We have normally been within a mile radius of them all the time.

"We have been sending one van on to the next stop, to carry out a recce - toilets, where we can eat, and so on - and plan the next day's route that night.

"It is all about keeping them on the straight and narrow, making sure nobody gets lost, and helping guide them through places, such as city centres, that they might not have been through before."

The team arrived in Carlisle last Thursday night and also spent Friday in the city before continuing north of the border on Saturday morning.

They finally reached John O'Groats on Wednesday afternoon.

"It was nice to spend some time in Carlisle and enjoy the city on our rest day," added Sgt Moran, who lived at Sandsfield Park before joining the RAF aged 20.

"We took a couple of collection buckets out with us into Carlisle and we had quite a bit of money chucked in, which was good to see."

He added: "The RAF Association and RAF Benevolent Fund help ex-service people, mainly, and also current serving people, if they have illnesses or fall on hard times.

"We are hoping to raise as much as possible. Together we are around the £3,000 mark now and any more that can help would be much appreciated."

The six riders are Flight Lieutenant Howard Leach, Sergeant John Heaton, Squadron Leader 'Ted' Edwards, Chief Technician Dave Barker, Flight Lieutenant Jason Dark and Chief Technician Michael Thomson.

Also in the support staff are Flight Sergeant Dougie Greenhalgh and Sergeant Iain Anderson.

To sponsor them, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michael-thomson20