Cyclists dressed in fancy dress flocked to the Sandringham Estate today to raise money for charity.

It is hoped thousands of pounds will be raised for the King's Lynn Samaritans after the 14-mile bike ride around the famous Royal retreat this morning.

It is one of the longest-running and largest cycle rides in the region and this year the theme for fancy dress competitors was the Olympics through the Ages.

Around 130 riders arrived at the estate's visitor centre to take part and were sent on their way at 10am by North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham, newly-elected borough mayor Geoffrey Wareham and local radio presenter Adam Newstead.

The participants then pedalled through Dersingham, Sedgeford, Fring, Shernbourne before returning for a prize presentation at Sandringham.

There were medals for all riders and trophies for the winners of several fun categories in fancy dress.

Eleanor Smith, King's Lynn Samaritans director, said it was a great day for everyone involved.

She added: 'We've got people of all ages taking part. We've got families, teams and individuals all raising vital money for us.

'We had quite a few Daley Thompson lookalikes as well as a host of other people in fancy dress which is always great to see.'

The annual event, which has been running for more than 25 years, is the King's Lynn Samaritan's biggest fundraiser as they have to raise many thousands each year just to operate their centre in Lynn's Queen Street.

Mrs Smith continued: 'It's remained a popular event because it's a great day out for families and there are some people who have been coming here for 15 years.

'It has been held in various locations over the years but it has got bigger since we moved to Sandringham a couple of years ago because it's a really nice venue to come to.'

She added: 'I think people like to show their support for us because they do still see the value of the Samaritans and the need to have people to talk to in confidence.

'We also always get a few people coming up to us before the ride to say we had helped them so they wanted to help us by taking part which is always nice.'

For more information about the group visit www.kingslynnsamaritans.co.uk.