TWO teachers have embarked on a mammoth nine-day bike ride across the length of Britain in memory of two former pupils who have died.

Ben Spedding and Jack Walsh, teachers at Peel Park Primary School in Accrington, along with their friend Lee Harkness, are cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, in honour of their former pupils Olivia Diamond and Megan Lee.

Olivia Diamond, of Moss Hall Road, Accrington died in 2014 aged just 12 after suffering acute myocarditis - inflammation of the heart -after falling ill with the flu.

Oswaldtwistle teenager Megan Lee, 15, died on New Year’s Day from a severe allergic reaction after eating a naan bread as part of a takeaway meal.

Mr Spedding, a deputy head at the school, said: “I was lucky enough to teach both Olivia and Megan at the school when they were in Year six.

“We’ve wanted to do the bike ride for a while, and we thought it would be a good way of raising money and awareness of them in their memory.

“We live in a very close-knit community and both their deaths came as a real shock and it was devastating for everyone.”

Mr Spedding, from Burnley, along with Mr Walsh, from Accrington, are raising money for the Cardiac Risk for the Young charity in memory of Olivia and Anaphylaxis Awareness in memory of Megan.

Yesterday, they finished day eight of their journey which saw them travel from Weston-super-Mare to Bude in Cornwall.

Today, they are set to travel from Bude to Land’s End to complete the challenge.

The challenge also saw them travel from Penrith to Accrington on day five where they were greeted by teachers, parents and pupils from the school.

Overall, the trio would have cycled just over 1,000 miles, which equates to an enormous 115 miles each day.

Aiming to raise £2,000, they have currently raised £1,500 for the charities.

Mr Spedding, 36, said: “We would love to raise both awareness and money for some charities which are close to our school’s heart.

“This would make all the pain and suffering on this gruelling journey worthwhile.

“All money raised will go directly to the charities so please dig deep.

“Your donations will keep us going when the rain starts to fall, the hills get steeper and our legs get weary."

Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) raises awareness of SADS Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in local communities, while Anaphylaxis Awareness supports people at risk from severe allergic reactions and anaphylactic shock.

To donate money to the trio, people can visit their fundraising page website http://m.virginmoneygiving.com/peelparkcyclingchallenge.