A PAIR of students from York who have raised thousands of pounds for charity have been nominated for a Community Pride award.

Robert Stanley and his friend David Trotter, both from York, aim to cycle from London to Paris in 24 hours in aid of mental health charity Scope.

Robert’s mother, Deborah, nominated the two students in the Spirit of Youth category, for their charity work, and efforts to improve the public perception of youths.

Deborah said: “They’ve already organised a couple of fundraising events prior to the ride, and raised about £2,100. Rob and Dave are both passionate cyclists and are keen to put their passion to good use, and chose to cycle all that way in 24 hours, and I think it’s a brilliant thing for people their age to give back.

“So often the youth of today get a bad name and are tarnished in the press. This is a fabulous example of working together and giving back to the community.”

Robert said: “We’re both cyclists and there are lots of London to Paris events around, but we saw there was a 24-hour version and wanted to go for it. So far, the fundraising has been harder than the training.

“I’ve never been nominated for anything like this before, but it makes me proud. I’m very happy but didn’t do it for that.”

This year marks the eighth time The Press has held the Community Pride Awards, supported by City of York Council, to celebrate unsung heroes within the York community.

For details on how to nominate someone for a Community Pride award, see above.