A FORMER Halesowen councillor was part of a team of cyclists who have raised more than £500,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.

Stuart Henley joined his friends William Campbell and Peter Bennett on a two-day, 145 mile charity bike ride from Barnsley’s football ground to Ajax's Amsterdam Arena.

The Dudley firefighter was one of hundreds of cyclists who took part in the 'Football to Amsterdam' national fundraising initiative earlier this month.

Stuart also took part in last year's event after experiencing a health scare and is keen that the cycle raises awareness of male cancers, which he said are often not spoken about publicly.

The Halesowen Carnival organiser said: “It was really tough as I’ve not done as much training as I would have liked this year. With everything going on, especially the elections, it all takes time away from training.

“But being part of such a great team pulls you through it. There was so much comradery within the group which really helped in times when you were struggling.

“The three of us as the ‘Black Country Boys’ have raised about £4,300, but the group as a whole have raised over £500,000 – hopefully we’ll break through the £600,000 mark by the time all the sponsorship comes in.”

To donate to Prostate Cancer UK visit www.justgiving.com/teams/Black-Country-Boys.