Four year five pupils from St Edward’s Preparatory School in Cheltenham are taking on the 15-mile scenic riverside cycle path from Bristol to Bath, to raise funds for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice.

The four Cheltenham girls - Olivia Hodgson, Charlotte Jenkins, Annabelle Carey and Brooke Davies - hope to complete the journey as a minimum on Sunday and then plan to continue onto Bradford-on-Avon, which is an additional nine miles.

The girls, all aged nine or 10, said: “We are cycling as far as we can to raise money for Sue Ryder because Leckhampton Court Hospice has helped our loved ones.

“We wanted to raise money because they have helped a friend's grandparents and we think they do an amazing job”.

Community fundraising manager Alysia Cameron-Price said: “It’s brilliant that the girls have chosen to support the hospice with their cycling challenge.

“Not only are we so grateful for the funds they are planning to raise, but we are also touched by their determination to complete the initial 15 miles and then push on for another nine!

“It will be a fantastic achievement for them all and we wish them the very best of luck.

“We hope that the girls will inspire others to get outside, do something they enjoy and fundraise for us at the same time.”

The girls originally set themselves a fundraising target of £400, which could pay for a hospice nurse for four days.

They have now doubled this amount and anyone wishing to donate should visit their Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/5Bcyclinggirls.

For more information on Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court and to find out how you can support the work of the hospice, visit www.sueryder.org/leckhampton