Thieves have rewarded a Bradford businessman’s charity fundraising efforts by stealing the bicycle he rides to raise the cash.

Jon Ellis, managing director of Ferno, a manufacturer of medical and patient handling equipment based in Cleckheaton, has raised about £15,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and several other charities over the last five years.

But the cycle he has used to take part in a series of charity rides, organised by the Huddersfield Town Pedal For Pounds scheme, was targeted by criminals who struck at the garage of his home.

Mr Ellis, of Low Moor, said: “The 36-gear Trek Pilot 2.1 road bike has carried me over hundreds of miles over the past few years as I have cycled with other fundraisers to raise funds for charities like Yorkshire Air Ambulance which does such good and important work in our region.

“The bicycle was taken from my garage over the weekend and I would like to appeal to anyone who knows of its whereabouts to get in touch.

“It is black with silver writing and has dual pedals with cleat clips on the underside. It also had a white light on the handlebars, a tall drinking cup on a holder and a small bag under the seat.”

The loss came only weeks after Mr Ellis took part in Pedal For Pound’s fifth event, which involved covering more than 300 kilometres from the Emirates Stadium in London to Huddersfield on a route which also took in Cambridge and Leicester.

Mr Ellis was in the Pink Team and his company also supplied a support vehicle for the ride.

In spite of an injury to his knee he successfully completed the ride to do a lap of honour with other riders at Huddersfield Town’s John Smith’s stadium.

Mr Ellis is willing to offer a reward for the return of the bike. Trek Pilot bikes are popular with keen cyclists.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance relies on a constant flow of donations to remain in the air because while the paramedics who crew the chopper are seconded from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, all running costs must be met by the organisation itself, at a cost of about £9,000 per day.