Friends of the late Adam Bounds, from Axminster, raised more than £3,000 for the RNLI during a charity cycle ride in his memory.

Adam's best friend Matthew Payne organised the 131-mile cycle from Lyme Regis to Newquay lifeboat stations to mark the first anniversary of Adam's sudden death.

He was joined by Rob Gage, Andrew 'Edder' Gage, Alan Cockram and Dan Galloway, and the five friends have now raised £3,125 for the RNLI - Adam's favourite charity.

Commenting on the ride, Matthew said: "We started off on time at 5am from Lyme Regis Lifeboat Station and made it to Newquay Lifeboat station at 7.10pm. Riding time was 10 hours and 34 minutes.

"The weather was over cast for most of the day which was good as it helped keep us nice and cool throughout the day. We were riding into a westerly wind all day which made riding conditions harder. 

"The day went really well with know problems with the bikes and myself, Rob, Edder, Alan and Dan all finishing without feeling too exhausted, and having enough energy for drinks in the evening. 

"I just want to say a big thank you to Rob, Andrew, Alan and Dan for joining me on the ride, Tam Thomson for driving the support vehicle and Tracey Judge, Holly Payne, Paul Margate's, Dan Mills and Dean Salter for supporting us along the way.

"And finally, a big thank you to everyone who has kindly donated money for this great casual. At the start we had a target of £1,000 which was reached very quickly. Now the total stands at just over £3,000 which is amazing."

You can still sponsor the boys at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matthew-payne-1

Adam Bounds

An inquest in December put his death down to a severe and rare reaction to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Adam grew up in Axminster and attended The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis, and he played football for Axminster and Uplyme.

A disco is being planned to raise celebrate Adam's life and raise further funds for the RNLI this weekend.

The event will be held at Axminster Football Club in Saturday, June 18, starting at 7pm, and will include a number of Michael Jackson songs – Adam's favourite artist – as well as other disco numbers.

Tickets for £5 are now available to book at www.ticketsource.co.uk/Michaeljackson