A DEDICATED volunteer has picked herself up after an injury last year to cycle more than 260 miles for a Blackbird Leys-based family charity.

Cake baker Stella Beazley, 56, has spent the past three years volunteering for Home-Start Oxford, which offers specialist support to parents with young children.

Now the mother of three is planning a marathon bike ride from London to Paris to raise much-needed funds for the "excellent and supportive" organisation.

She said: "We are quite unique at Home-Start in that we can stay with the families as long as they want us and you don't have to rush in and out.

"I think the work is crucial. With all the cuts going on, health visitors and social workers have a huge amount to do and they value us quite a lot."

Home-Start is located in Blackbird Leys Community Centre and gives practical and emotional advice to parents with children aged under five.

In her time as a volunteer Mrs Beazley has worked with three families, all of whom had just had twins and were struggling with illness or other concerns.

She said: "It might be post-natal depression, just feeling overwhelmed as a parent or perhaps not having the skills you need. It's a big thing to let a stranger into your home."

Last year Mrs Beazley, of Wallingford, had planned to take on the charity cycle but had a fall due to wearing "unsuitable shoes" and broke her wrist and sternum.

At the time she had already raised £1,800 for Home-Start. She said: "I was just devastated. I felt I had let everyone down.

"That's why I'm so keen to sign up this year. We've done so much training and I'm just ready to go – I wanted to do it in plaster last year."

Over four days from July 19 to July 23, Mrs Beazley and a team of other charity champions on the London to Paris Bike Ride will cycle 267 miles.

They will ride from London to Dover, take a ferry to Calais, cycle from Calais to Abbeville, from Abbeville to Beauvais and finally on to Paris, where they will celebrate together under the lights of the Eiffel Tower.

This year Mrs Beazley is aiming to raise an extra £1,000 for Home-Start, enough to support one family for about nine months.

She said: "The hills will be nerve-wracking but I'm looking forward to it. Home-Start need the money desperately so it will be put to good use, very efficiently, straight away."

Home-Start administrator Matt Zeqiri said: "The money itself is fantastic as it costs £1,400 a year to support a family: tremendously good value in terms of what it might cost for social care. Stella has done a lot for several families we support and it is really appreciated.

"We are trying to get our name out now and push out into the community because quite a lot of people haven't heard of Home-Start, and there are still so many out there who could do with support."

For more information or to sponsor Mrs Beazley visit tinyurl.com/zdaq8bd