EIGHT brave youngsters from a scout group are preparing to embark on a marathon coast-to-coast charity bike ride.

The youngsters from Brompton Scouts are hoping to raise at least £500 for Children with Leukaemia when they set off, accompanied by three adults, next Thursday.

The 140-mile route will take them from Whitehaven, in Cumbria, to the Stadium of Light, in Sunderland, where they will finish on Saturday afternoon.

The group, seven boys and one girl aged between 11 and 14, has been meeting for training rides every other Sunday for months.

Helper and cyclist Fiona Lofthouse said: "They have turned up for training come rain or shine and even snow, and have built up from ten miles to nearly 47 miles. They are all looking forward to it, but we are just hoping for some decent weather.