TWO friends have cycled 136 miles to raise money for a charity that helps children with liver disease.

Claire Holland was diagnosed at birth with bile duct disorder biliary atresia and was one of the first babies to undergo the intricate kasai operation, which forms a loop of intestine into a pipe to drain bile from the liver.

Now 22, she cycled with her friend, Sarah Scott, 23, from Sheffield, where they live, to Miss Scott's father's home at Tunstall, near Richmond.

The pair, who took two days to complete the challenge, raised more than £500 for the Children's Liver Disease Foundation.

Gordon Scott, Miss Scott's father, said: "Claire's life was saved by the operation, and she and Sarah wanted to do something to help other children.

"They do not belong to a cycling club, but they are very active and they did some training."

Miss Scott grew up in Richmond and attended Richmond School before she studied psychology at university.

The pair used maps to plot a journey on quiet roads and bridlepaths via Barnsley, Wakefield and Leeds to Harrogate, where they stayed overnight. They then rode to Tunstall via Ripley, Fountains Abbey and Masham.