An intrepid team from BCA is raising funds for charity with a bike ride to Paris from its Blackbushe remarketing centre.

The team of 40 includes riders from BCA and the wider motor industry and will take on the 400km challenge in a bid to raise over £30,000 the Action for A-T charity which carries out research into Ataxia Telangiectasia, a rare genetic degenerative disease of childhood.

Among those taking part is Craig Purvey, chief commercial officer at BCA. He said: “While this will be a gruelling ride of 250 miles, this pales when considering the challenges that face those who are dealing with Ataxia Telangiectasia every day, either as a sufferer or a carer. 

“It will be a testing ride, but we are focused on the funds we will raise for this very worthwhile cause.”

Action for A-T funds high-quality peer-reviewed medical research to speed up the process of identifying a cure for Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, genetic degenerative disease of childhood, which affects multiple systems of the human body.

In people affected with A-T, a gene called ATM is mutated.

Health progressively deteriorates causing an overall loss of co-ordination and muscle control.

Children are usually confined to a wheelchair by the second decade of life (around the age of 10) and will need assistance with everyday tasks.

The charity has invested more than a million pounds in a variety of A-T related research projects around the world.