Alok Sharma, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, and local Reading residents James Cox and Tim Miles successfully completed a 30 kilometres cycle ride around Reading in support of the Reading Fibromyalgia Support Group on Saturday 14 July.

The ride, starting and finishing outside Prospect Park Hospital, took Alok, James and Tim around Tilehurst, Purley, Pangbourne, Theale, Calcot and Southcote and the team stopped off along the way to collect donations.

Alok Sharma commented: “On the day the weather was perfect for cycling and we are very grateful to the people of Tilehurst, Purley, Pangbourne, Theale, Calcot and Southcote for their generosity which helped to increase the weight of our collection tins every time we stopped for donations! Hopefully this event will have helped to raise further awareness of fibromyalgia and the excellent work being done by the Reading Fibromyalgia Support Group.”

Jean Turner, Chairman of the Reading Fibromyalgia Support Group said: “A big thank you to Alok Sharma, James Cox and Tim Miles for their hard pedalling in support of our local Reading group. We are very grateful for both the funds and publicity raised about fibromyalgia, which is still a relatively little known chronic condition with symptoms of widespread pain and profound fatigue.”