A DISABILITY cycling charity based in Chester-le-Street is celebrating a pre-Christmas Lottery windfall.

Gateway Wheelers won almost £50,000 best of Big Lottery Fund money as the runner-up in The People’s Millions competition run on the region’s ITV service, in which viewers vote for competing projects.

Its Free Wheelers project focuses on using cycling to develop self-confidence in people with a brain injury.

It will be getting £47,252 for its project.

Trustee Brian Milner said: “Our Free Wheelers project aims to help people with a brain injury have fun, be healthy and regain skills through cycling.

“We want to be able to offer them the same opportunity as anyone else to enjoy cycling, develop self-confidence, enjoy a fun, social activity and make new friends.

“The money will be used to provide cycling sessions for people with a brain injury, provide specialised bikes and equipment and provide transport to make it easy for people with a brain injury to travel from home to the cycling activity.”

North Durham MP Kevan Jones welcomed the group’s success in the competition.

He said: “I was very pleased to hear the news that the Gateway Wheelers had been successful in their bid for funding.

“They did remarkably well in securing such support for their project, which could be of huge benefit to people who have suffered brain injury, and I know they will do great work supporting people in my constituency and beyond.”

The Gateway Wheelers was founded in 1997 and became a registered charity three years later. It brings able-bodied and disabled riders together to use specially=made bicycles.