Danielle Griffiths, a deputy practice manager at a Clacton veterinary clinic, raised £1,115 for an air ambulance charity in memory of her late cousin.

Ms Griffiths, of Kinfauns Vets in Little Clacton, cycled 40 miles on a static bike and took cream pies to the face from colleagues and clients to raise the funds.

The money raised was in honour of Ms Griffiths' cousin, Aimee Williams, who tragically died in a road accident two years ago.

The funds Ms Griffiths accrued went towards a total of £21,000, raised by Ms Williams' friends and family on March 28, the anniversary of Aimee's accident.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), the charity Ms Griffiths chose to support, is paying tribute to Ms Williams by putting her name on the side of one of their helicopters.

Ms Griffiths said: "I completed my cycling challenge in 3hrs 48mins and it was hard work, but the fact I was doing this in memory of Aimee kept me going and I was determined to finish.

"My colleagues and the pet owners who came into the practice while I was cycling were brilliant at cheering me on and their support helped me make it over the finish line.

"They were also happy to dig deep and make an extra donation to throw a cream pie at me!

"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored me, and to my local Tesco store which donated the cream and paper plates.

"I’m over the moon that I more than doubled my original fundraising target because the air ambulance service does such incredible work and every penny will go towards helping people who have been injured.

"Sadly, Aimee passed away at the scene of her accident but we gained comfort from the fact that the air ambulance team was in attendance and were caring for her in her final moments, and they also gave her family a lot of support after the accident.

"We are so proud Aimee’s name will be on one of the KSS helicopters and it is a lovely way to honour Aimee’s memory."