VOLUNTEERS are urged to get on their bikes, have fun, keep fit and help to keep a hospice up and running.

Willow Burn Hospice is staging its annual Sunflower Cycle Ride on a stretch of the Lanchester Valley Walk in County Durham, on Sunday.

The 15-year-old hospice, at Maiden Law Hospital, near Lanchester, in north-west Durham, features a four-bed 24-hour specialist care nursing unit, plus day care centre for up to 40 patients per week.

A team of dedicated volunteers plays a vital role in the day-to-day running of the hospice, as well as in raising much-needed funds to back the donations of the people of Derwentside and health authority contributions.

The Derwentside Hospice Care Foundation, a charitable organisation, oversees fundraising and is busy preparing for the annual Sunflower Cycle Ride.

Cyclists of all ages and abilities are asked to gather at the valley walk, at Lanchester, for the 11am start of the five-mile ride down the Browney Valley, ending at the Broompark picnic area, near Ushaw Moor.

Further information is available from Julia or Angela in the hospice fundraising office, on (01207) 528167.