Help for Heroes to hit £100 million mark

Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes is set to reach £100 million in public donations - just three and a half years after it was formed.

It is hoped its latest fundraising event - a bike ride through the battlefields of France - will push donations past the milestone.

More than 300 Help for Heroes supporters will begin the The Big Battlefield Bike Ride from Portsmouth later today, finishing the journey in Paris on Friday.

The charity was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry in October 2007 and has so far raised £98.07 million.

It has spent almost £90 million on various projects and is currently building five personal recovery centres for wounded servicemen across the UK.

Its patrons include Victoria Cross holder Johnson Beharry, television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, actor Ross Kemp and cricketer Sir Ian Botham.