Suffolk soldiers completed a mission of a very different kind, to raise money for the charity Break, which supports vulnerable children and families.

The group from 3 Regiment Army Air Corps, based at Wattisham Airfield, undertook a ‘virtual’ cycle ride of 2,240 from Sudbury to Santa’s workshop in Lapland.

The challenge took place at the Break charity shop in North Street, Sudbury, on two static bikes. Led by Corporal Alexis Wepener, the team started last Tuesday and finished on Saturday.

Shop manager Lynne Pearce said they had raised a total of £929 collected in buckets outside the shop during the challenge.

“It was brilliant because Break is not a well-known charity in this part of the world and the cycle ride brought in a lot of people who were asking about what we do and chatted to the soldiers about their work,” she said.

“In the end they finished ahead of schedule and we were absolutely amazed at people’s generosity - we far exceeded the total we hoped to raise.”