EIGHTEEN students from Hummersknott Academy who will next year cycle nearly 1,000 miles from Lands End to John O' Groats met with ward councillor Cyndi Hughes to tell her of their plans.

The aim of the group, aged between 12 and 16, is to raise at least £4,000 to be shared between St Te resa's Hospice, in the town, and Help for Heroes.

The students have been training for nearly a year.

Penny Lamont, a parent who will be cycling with them, said: "They have gelled extremely well as a team and always offer help and encouragement to those who need it."

Coun Hughes learnt from Samuel Howard, team captain, about the route they will take on their journey north. She spoke to the team about their training programme and the amount of time involved.

The group has its own website - hummersknott cycleclub.org.uk - which includes a blog page that is regularly updated and provides a link to its fundraising pages.

Shelley Hallewell, a member of staff at the academy, who will be riding with the team, said: "It has been an amazing journey so far for the team. Training is going extremely well, with our sessions at Catterick Garrison with the Army and our weekend rides - we are going from strength to strength."