CYCLING star Geraint Thomas and his wife Sara helped raise more than £30,000 for charity at a fundraising dinner at their Chepstow wedding venue.

The Tour de France champion, who was named an OBE in the New Year’s Honours, was joined by Wales rugby star George North and 120 guests for a Christmas meal and auction at St Tewdrics House in Mathern Road.

And the event raised a huge sum to be divided equally between the Alzheimer’s Society and Bowel Cancer UK.

Geraint, who was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year last month, donated a signed yellow Tour de France jersey to be auctioned off, while New Zealand rugby star Dan Carter donated a signed rugby shirt, and there were also VIP tickets for Elton John’s Cardiff concert and the 2019 Tour de France on offer.

Geraint said: “We have chosen to unite with Alzheimer’s Society as my wife Sara’s taid (grandfather) passed away in 2011 after suffering two mini-strokes and dementia.

“More recently, Megan, one of our wedding coordinators, lost her nan to the disease. Together we’re determined to make a difference and raise money in every way we can.

“We hope through our dinner and auction we’ll make a difference to people affected by dementia.

“We’ve wanted to hold a charity event for some time and we hope it’ll be an annual event that we carry on doing for many years.”

Sue Phelps of Alzheimer’s Society Cymru added: “We are delighted that Geraint Thomas and the staff at St Tewdrics have chosen to host this fabulous event.

“Their support will help us continue to campaign for change, fund research to find a cure, and support people living with dementia.

“There are currently 45,000 people living with dementia in Wales. That number is set to rise to 100,000 by 2055.

“Anyone affected can access our Dementia Connect service, where you can talk to a dedicated dementia expert for practical advice and information.

“We also provide a Side-by-Side service which matches people with dementia with dedicated volunteers, enabling them to keep doing the things they love.”

Geraint, 32, and Sara, 28, bought St Tewdrics and renovated the venue after getting married there in 2015.

Because they are based in Monaco, the day-to-day duties at St Tewdrics are carried out by Sara’s parents Eifion and Beth Thomas.