Whitby girl Evie Hodgson's six-year-old brother completes marathon bike ride to help charities that saved his sister's life

Six-year-old William Hodgson was part of a 30-strong team which took on the 26.2-mile challenge on Saturday.

The team included Evie, who only underwent a bone marrow transplant in January, along with two other youngsters who have battled leukaemia.

Delighted mum Tina said the Everyone Needs a Hero -Evie-s Journey Facebook page: "Andy and I are literally the proudest parents.

"Our team of 30 cyclists were all amazing and did incredibly well and I'm pleased to report that everybody finished.

"The cycling conditions were perfect - the biggest challenge was tackling the midges.

"William set off and didn't stop, he was so determined to complete this challenge not only for Evie but also the fantastic charities who have supported us through this extremely tough year.

"A huge thank you to everybody who has sponsored us."

Dad Andy said William's training and hard work had paid off.

"Watching a six-year-old outpacing the older boys, rather than the other way round, was nice to see as a parent, he said.

"My mum bought him a silver plated cup for competing!"

And the great news is the initial £10,000 target has now been exceeded.

The charities being supported are:

* The Aplastic Anaemia Trust, which provides vital research for the rare disease Evie had

* Anthony Nolan, saving the lives of people with blood cancer and who found Evie her bone marrow hero

* DKMS - UK stem cell register

Nine-year-old Evie had a bone marrow transplant earlier this year after she was diagnosed with the rare blood disease aplastic anaemia.

The donor who was initially found for her had pulled out just a few weeks before the procedure had been scheduled, with no explanation, leaving Evie and her family devastated.

They then launched a drive to raise awareness of the stem cell register and how easy it is to donate in a bid to find a new match.