An army veteran from Attleborough and his daughter were the centre of attention at Twickenham on Saturday as they strode onto the famous rugby stadium's pitch.

Dave Bickle, 51, and Amiee Bickle, 23, were among a group of six people who carried flags onto the field before the England v South Africa match.

Mr Bickle said it was an amazing experience.

He said: 'It was absolutely brilliant. It was quite emotive on the pitch and we were well looked after.'

Mr Bickle carried the South African flag and Ms Bickle carried the English flag onto the field.

They then had VIP seats to watch the match, which England won by 37 points to 21.

Mr Bickle and his daughter were given the honour after he took part in a fundraising bike ride for the armed forces charity SSAFA.

He said: 'I was with a group of 50 others who did a charity bike ride to the Somme to raise money for SSAFA - I raised over £4,000 and the whole group raised more than £100,000.

'So they invited us to be among the group that carries the banner out onto the ground - it's a way of saying thank you.'

Mr Bickle is chairman of Attleborough's British Legion branch, having spent 23 years in the Royal Engineers.

He said he was pleased to have supported such an important charity.

He said: 'I'm an ex-serviceman myself so SSAFA is very close to my heart.

'They support not only people active in the services, but also those no longer active and their families.'

'It's quite nice to get the recognition to be able to do this and it's very poignant as well because it's Remembrance weekend.'

The charity bike ride took place over three days and followed the route undertaken by the army cycle battalions during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Mr Bickle also appeared on the show Countryfile on Sunday, in a segment which featured the charity cycle and his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Have you got a story about someone who has done something remarkable? Email stuart.anderson@archant.co.uk