A GROUP of friends are preparing to set off on a 200-mile charity cycle challenge.

The three-day cycle, from Newcastle to Edinburgh, will take the 13-strong group three days and will raise funds for two charities.

Neil Bowerbank, who works for Darlington Borough Council, is a member of the group. He said: “I’m amazed at how generous and supportive local people have been.

“We’ve had donations from friends, family, colleagues and even people who we have never met. Times are hard for many people yet they still manage to find a few quid to support good causes.”

Donations worth more than £3,500 have already been pledged to the Rainbow Trust, which provides emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness, and Sands, which supports those affected by the death of a baby and promotes research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

Ed Griffiths, another member of the group, works for Barclays Bank, which has provided matched funding of £750.

The challenge begins at 8.30am on Thursday (June 6) and the team will be updating their progress via Twitter #coastandcastles throughout the trip.

People will be able to monitor how the challenge is going and will hopefully send the team some messages of encouragement along the way.

To sponsor the team, visit justgiving.com/teams/cast73