For the past seven years, a ground-breaking sports group has been at the heart of tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in hard-hit inner city communities. But with the cutbacks threatening its very future, a team of bobbies put pedal power to the test for a week-long endurance test to help fill the coffers to keep it going. Crime Files looks at their intrepid bike ride and the work they hope to fund.

POSING for impromptu photographs after arriving outside Old Trafford at the same time as a coach load of Japanese tourists Pete Ash, John Peepall and Dean Holtham could be forgiven for basking in their momentary celebrity status.

While they may not be well-known faces, to the youngsters in inner city parts of Birmingham they are unsung heroes trying to give them a future free of crime.

For Pc Ash, Insp Peepall and Dean, director of Birmingham City FC’s Community Trust pedalled the length and breadth of the country to raise cash to keep their youth group going.

The idea was to cycle to every single Premier League ground in a 1,200 marathon effort in aid of the Kickz project from Newcastle to Fulham and Norwich to Swansea.

Pc Ash admits the idea was his.

Planned earlier this year, the route was made even tougher with the arrival of Premier League new-boys The Swans and the Canaries to the top flight and the irony of Blues being relegated.

But such was the importance of the Kickz scheme, they stuck with the idea.

“We ride bikes for our jobs so we thought we could something along those lines and have a bit of a challenge as well,” said Northfield-based Pc Ash.

“It was a hard seven days luckily the weather was on our side.