Members of a group who cycled to the Hajj earlier this year attended a special celebration of their achievements.

Junaid Afzal and Israr Hussain of Slough joined Shahzad Akber of Blackburn at a Mawlid Mehfil.

The trio were part of group of cyclists who travelled to the Hajj on their bikes.

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The journey of over 4000 miles took in 17 countries with the cyclists completing on average75 miles a day. The group of eight made of volunteers had set off after Eid in June to raise money for charity.

Along the way they have met people from all walks of life from a group of migrants heading across Europe on foot to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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Amir Akber told us, “This was a monumental journey which raised thousands of pounds for charity. We just wanted to do something to show our appreciation of their efforts.

“It was really good to welcome Junaid and Afzal to Blackburn.”

The Tour De Hajj (TDH) challenge for Penny Appeal from London to Makkah raised tens of thousands for the charity. 

The money raised will fund a model village consisting of schools, places of worship and a water well in four countries - Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Uganda.