A GROUP of Burnley fans from across East Lancashire have raised more than £12,000 for the club by cycling 500 miles in a week.

Ten Clarets supporters arrived back in triumph in Burnley after setting off from Exeter a week earlier as part of a fundraising effort to help swell the club's coffers by £500,000.

And the group, all part of the 500 Club, said the news of manager Stan Ternent's departure failed to weaken their resolve to complete the course.

Graham Atkinson, who lives in Stoneyhurst Height, Burnley, said the news that Ternent was to leave Turf Moor reached them straight away.

He said: "We were cycling along Salisbury Plain and everyones' mobile phones started going off.

"There was a lot of discussion about it and most people were pleased as they thought it was time for a change.

"That was the conversation for the rest of the week, Stan leaving and who the new manager should be."

Members of the 500 Club have to raise £1,000 each for the club.

Graham, 41, said the group decided to raise their cash by cycling 500 miles in a week.

He said: "We cycled about 80 miles a day and it was quite difficult especially with the bad weather which didn't help.

"Clarets are in dire financial straits and between the 10 of us we managed to raise between £12,000 and £13,000."

The ride took the group to a number of towns including Weybridge, Salisbury, Tamworth and Milton Keynes, where they had to stopped over each night.

Accommodation varied from plush hotels to scout huts.

On Saturday the group arrived back in East Lancashire ready for the final leg of the trip before Sunday's final league game of the season against Sunderland.

Graham said the group where then paraded around the ground before kick-off.

He said: "We cycled the last 15 miles from Oswaldtwistle and into Turf Moor at about 11am, had a champagne reception and cycled round the pitch before kick-off.

"We got a great reception from both sets of fans which was fantastic."