Staff from Waterloo Air Products have successfully completed a cycle ride from Belgium to London, to raise funds for Walking with the Wounded.

They cycled a historic route to commemorate the bi-centenary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Stuart Fritter said: 'It was a tough challenge, but the camaraderie and the opportunity to be part of such an historical event were well worth it.”

The bike ride was held in association with Ride of the Lions and the Waterloo 200 Association in aid of Walking with the Wounded Charity .

Joining a team of 80+ cyclists, two riders Matreya Southgate and Stuart Fritter representing Waterloo Air Products and two guest riders, Alan Coldwell from H&V Serviceplan and Miles Holway from ChapmanBDSP, took part in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and cycled their way into the history books. 

The cyclists were divided into four teams with names reflecting the relationship between some of the key protagonists in the Battle – Ponsonby, Percy, Uxbridge and Somerset. Each team comprised four British rugby Lions, one wounded soldier, and members of the public.  Waterloo cycled as part of the Ponsonby team and has so far raised £2,000 with sponsorship still trickling in. Overall the 200 cyclists are expected to raise an impressive £50,000.

Chairman of Waterloo Air Products Rick Edmondson said: “I am extremely proud of the cyclists giving up their time for such a worthy cause and helping us mark such a momentous historical event.”

He added: “We have been delighted to support many of the initiatives that Waterloo 200 were organising and promoting. As our own personal tribute, we have placed a number of interesting documents on our website that highlight various aspect of the battle, along with details of other commemorative events that are taking place, which we hope will be of great interest to our employees and customers.”