Eight senior bosses from wine retailer Majestic are in Jersey to cycle a combined almost 500km in aid of charity.

The firm - which opened its first Channel Islands-based store in Jersey earlier this year - chose the island as the location for its 2024 fundraiser.

The squad took two different routes around the island's coast, with Executive Chairman and CEO John Colley leading the pack.

Both teams set off from the St Helier store before splitting up.

Five cyclists took on the 'expert' 70 km course, facing a climb of more than 2,400ft over the ride, with the other three members taking a 45 km route.

The money raised from their JustGiving page will go towards the Majestic Charitable Foundation which supports The Brain Tumour Charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Child Bereavement UK.

Staff chose the charities benefiting from the fund, with local employees selecting the Jersey causes that will receive a share of donations, including Jersey Cancer Relief.

CEO John Colley says they were excited to get out on their bikes again this year to fundraise for charity.

"We know how just much these incredible causes mean to our colleagues – and to many of our customers and suppliers – with so many personal connections to the charities across our business."

The annual charity cycling challenge started after the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, where the company's directors rode a combined 680 miles on static bikes to cover the distance from Falmouth, Cornwall, to Inverness, Scotland.

Together, they raised £17,500 for The Brain Tumour Charity and the following year, 2022, almost £9,000 was raised for Alzheimer's Society when Majestic rode 55 miles from London to Brighton.

The team's last cycle was in our fellow crown-dependency, the Isle of Man, with Majestic's CFO Alex Jablonowski, CEO John Colley and Store Operations Manager Kieth Blessley took on a 100 km challenge around the island in the northwest and raised around £9,000 again.

However, Mr Colley said 2024 in Jersey provided the most challenging conditions so far, with wind speeds reaching 50 km/ph, heavy downpours and slipper roads.

"I’m so proud of the incredible effort and determination our colleagues showed today. I’ve been cycling for years and those are some of the worst conditions I've ever experienced. The charities we are supporting this year mean so much to our colleagues and we saw that reflected today in the determination everyone showed to reach the finish line."

The team has already exceeded its £10,000 target for the Jersey ride.