FROM Big Ben to Blackwell - 20 regulars from a social club near Bromsgrove are in training for a two-day charity bike ride.

The cyclists - all aged 40-something - plan to cover the 150-mile scenic route through the Chilterns and the Cotswolds in time to arrive back for a big welcome on the evening of Saturday, July 13.

Organisers Ivan Beavis and Roy Collins are not expecting to make as much as last year, when 13 members cycled back from Cardiff and raised £9,500.

"That was way beyond our wildest dreams," Ivan said. "Whatever we raise this year will be very worthwhile for the charities we are supporting."

The charities are Edwards Trust, which helps families whose children are being treated at Birmingham Children's Hospital, Sargent Cancer Care for Children and the County Air Ambulance.