A PAIR of Stourbridge fundraisers will be getting on their bikes in an attempt to stage the ultimate cycling challenge.

Friends Richard Westwood, aged 46, and Phil Compson, aged 48, will ride the length of the country – from Land's End to John O'Groats – to raise money for Mary Stevens Hospice.

The duo, who start their mammoth challenge on April 29 and will "hopefully" finish eight days later, have set their fundraising target at £2,000 for the hospice which is close to their hearts.

Richard said: "Both myself and Phil were born at Mary Stevens and I still have close ties with Stourbridge although I now live in Dubai.

"We've raised money for the hospice before when we took part in the Santa jog. It's an amazing place that helps so many people leave this world, but it also helped us enter the world, so we want to give something back.

"Every year I try to do a fundraising event, last year I did the Pennine Way in nine days for Medic Alert and previous years have included the national Three Peak Challenge and the Yorkshire three peaks.

"This year we chose to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats as it's a great challenge of endurance and we are also keen followers of the Tour de France."

Both Richard and Phil have been preparing extensively for the 885 mile challenge throughout the past few months, with pilot Richard training on desert tracks in the soaring Dubai sun.

He added: "We have set a target at £2,000, but we really hope to beat that."

To support Richard and Phil's challenge and donate to Mary Stevens Hospice visit www.justgiving.com/Richard-Westwood4