Two Preston friends are cycling from London to Brussels and raising thousands of pounds in the process for the struggling Salvation Army food bank.

Rachelle Callaghan and Rebecca Hewitson set off on their 280-mile journey on Wednesday 4 September.

On the first day they cycled 64 miles from London to Harwich, where they got the ferry to the Hook of Holland. From there they have done another 62 miles to Amsterdam. Next they will go 81 miles to Breda, and finally 76 miles to Brussels.

So far Rachelle and Rebecca have raised almost £3,000.

Rachelle said: “We are raising money for the food bank at Preston’s Salvation Army. It has been in dire need recently with it being the summer holidays, and we want to give them as big of a helping hand as possible.

Read more: Preston food bank running out of supplies as donations drop

“Families in the area are depending on the food bank, and Rebecca and I are fortunate enough to be in a position to help.

“Training has been difficult to say the least! My partner and I have four boys between us, that combined with working as an undertaker has been a bit of a squeeze!

“Rebecca also has two daughters and works full time, but we’ve just about managed.

“It’s come around very quickly, but we’ve had a huge amount of support from family and friends in the run up to the ride, so we owe everyone a massive thank you, and we hope we do them proud.”

Read more: Fulwood grandad to cycle 300 miles from London to Brussels for charity

To donate visit Rachelle’s JustGiving page or Rebecca’s JustGiving page.

What do you think of Rachelle and Rebecca’s fundraising efforts? Let us know in the comments below.