Cycling enthusiasts take on 300-mile environmental challenge

The pair braved the British summer and set off on Saturday August 22 from Workington in Cumbria before completing the quest on the following Friday at Whitehaven.
Ms Biggerstaff, who works for cycling charity CTC as a senior development officer, said: "We had a Big Lottery grant for the project but they said we needed to raise some of the funds ourselves so we decided on a bike ride.
"I gave Will a training programme in February and he had cycled a bit before but he's really got into it. We had a mixture of both good and wet weather. The last day there were gusts of 55 mph and a wind chill factor of minus five. It was pretty grim and took us longer than we thought but we did it."
During the challenge in which the pair cycled for six or seven hours a day covering around 55 miles and faced steep inclines, the weather was not the only thing causing problems.
Ms Biggerstaff, of Windsor Lane, Little Kingshill, added: "We had a couple of mechanical problems. Will's bike broke and we agreed I should go on but I went on only to get lost. We slightly underestimated a climb of 2,000 ft which was tough. But it went fairly smoothly."
The Misbourne School pupil Will, of South Heath, only recently became a member of Amersham Road Cycling Club several months ago. He was followed on the 310-mile journey by mother Margaret, who provided snacks and moral support.
Will said: "It was tougher than I thought it would be but despite that I really enjoyed it and hope to do more in the future."
Through sponsorship, they have raised approximately £3,000 towards installing solar panels and an earth heat source pump to make the church they attend greener.
They are now planning on their next challenge - cycling from London to Paris next year.
The fund remains open, to donate email office@missendenchurch.org.uk.