A pair of teachers are gearing up for a 200-mile bike ride with a ferry crossing included for good measure.

Mark Warner and Jay Graham wanted to find an original way of raising funds for a charity so they have eschewed the well trodden route Land's End to John O'Groats and will be peddling their way from Dublin to Dumbarton instead.

Mark, who works at Patcham High in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, came up with the plan as a way of helping his cousin Eoghan Warner who suffers from muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair.

He and his friend Jay, who works at Varndean School in Balfour Road, Brighton, have set themselves a target of raising £5,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy campaign. So far they have gathered pledges totalling more than £2,500.

The duo will set off from Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, May 26, and hope to arrive at Eoghan's home in Dumbarton, near Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, June 1.

Mark said: "He is a fantastic young man who used to be very mobile and independent. Unfortunately, unlike most healthy children, the older Eoghan gets, the more dependent he becomes on his loving family and on his wheelchair. I want to raise awareness and much-needed money so boys like Eoghan have a better future."

The two teachers are still gathering sponsorship. Anyone interested in supporting their efforts should visit www. justgiving.com/cycledublin.