Ruth Cadbury, MP for Brentford and Isleworth, saddled up and took to the streets of London as she joined thousands of cyclists last Sunday for the Ride London cycling festival. She joined eight other cyclists from Brentford FC’s award-winning charity, which raised more than £3,000 for the Trust’s community projects.

RideLondon, now in its seventh year, is aimed at encouraging more healthy and active travel. Setting out from the Olympic Park, the amateur cyclists headed to west London and experienced challenging leg testing climbs through parts of Surrey, before finishing on the Mall in central London. And the MP for Brentford and Isleworth saw the sporting event as an opportunity to raise much- needed funds for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.

She said: "I rode Ride London to raise funds for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust because of the incredible work they do in the local community using the power of sport to educate, motivate and inspire thousands of people from all backgrounds every year. I'm proud to have been associated with the Trust since its beginning. As a young Councillor in the 1980s, I worked with Brentford FC, local police and youth workers to develop holiday projects for youngsters on Brentford's housing estates. Ride London has enabled me to continue to support their great work."

The money raised will be invested into providing respite for young carers, sporting activities for children with disabilities and mentoring programmes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

One of the riders, Chris Dufeal, recently joined the Trust as a Senior Youth Worker to help deliver the youth provision in Hounslow.

He said: “I think sport plays a huge role in shaping a young person life, not only does it have huge health benefits, it allows young people to engage and participate in activities they may not have tried. I am fundraising for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust as I believe sport is a fantastic tool to engage with young people and that is exactly what the youth provision at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust will try to achieve.”

To get involved with Ride London next year, please contact the Trust at [email protected]