Gavin Alston and his friend Ben Rogers are now underway with their cycle ride from Lands End to John O Groats- a distance by road of more than a thousand miles.

They are cycling in aid of Cancer Research UK and Mind.

Gavin is from Loddiswell and Ben hails from West Charleton.

They got underway on Sunday May 15.

They have been friends for over 20 years and share a love of sports.

They live locally and became friends when they both started playing football for their local football club.

The duo said: “As a result of the pandemic, the last two years have been tough for us all. In May last year, we met up for a pint and decided we wanted a challenge. With the ongoing travel restrictions, a UK based challenge seemed our best option and we decided on cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Mind. After all, it’s very easy to sign up for an event that’s still 12 months away. Both of us were (and probably still are) complete novices on a bike, so this is going to be a big sporting challenge for both of us.

So far, we have spent nearly a year learning as much as we can about road cycling. Several of our friends are keen cyclists and have been kind enough to join us for a training ride and pass on some of their knowledge, for which we’re very grateful. Our personal trainer Oban the dog also keeps us in check.”

As of Wednesday May 18 they had raised £2,395 on their JustGiving page with a target of £5,000.

If you would like to make a donation you can visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/le-jog-1