A Monmouth man was met by royal appointment after travelling nearly 7,000 miles on a motorbike rally.

Alex Edwards set off from London on 22nd September along with fellow bikers Martin Gibson and rally organiser Paddy, the Earl of Clanwilliam, to raise money for three children's charities in London, Georgia and Bahrain.

The 37-year-old, who is the chief operations officer for one of the world's most popular gold trading companies and works in London, had earlier visited dad Trevor, sister Zoe and nephew Lewis in Monmouth.

The rally is an annual event which runs from London to Tbilisi in Georgia. This year it was extended to finish in Bahrain.

Alex, a former Monmouth Comprehensive School pupil, and the others arrived in Bahrain after 23 days and 6,800 miles, and after riding through 20 countries.

There were plenty of thrills and spills along the way, such as when a Kosovo taxi driver suddenly pulled out in front of Alex, causing him to come off.

The taxi driver stopped to help Alex up and offered him a drink. As it was vodka, Alex politely declined.

Martin was held up when someone filled his bike with diesel. He had to get a part shipped from Austria to fix it.

"It took Martin three days to catch up to us," said Alex, "and he went through Bulgaria, whereas me and Paddy went through Macedonia and Greece.