A Goodrich couple, Claire and Andy Herbert have set themselves a mammoth fitness challenge to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

Beginning on September 10th, Claire and Andy will take part in the Big Battlefield Bike Ride (BBBR), where they will each cycle 350 miles over six days. They will start the ride in Lille, France, and pass up through Waterloo, and follow the 1944 route of the Allied Forces through the Low Countries.

Throughout the trip, cyclists will hear about the history of the route by a team of battlefield experts, who will bring World War Europe to life, sharing experiences the soldiers would have faced during and post conflict.

The journey ends in Arnhem, at the site of ‘Operation Market Garden,’ which was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War.

At the end of the bike ride, the cyclists will witness the annual commemoration of the parachute jump, which has come to epitomise the World War Two period of military history.

Andy told the Ross Gazette that he worked in the Royal Navy for 12 years, and he is a Gulf war veteran. He now works for the Ministry of Defence, and he commented that the military has become a part of his DNA.

He first became involved with Help for Heroes in 2012 through work. Andy is a keen cyclist and has taken part in previous charity cycle rides in aid of the national UK?charity, which supports those with injuries and illnesses sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces.

It was during these cycle rides that Andy became passionate about the work Help for Heroes does; he was cycling alongside veterans who have been injured during conflict. “It becomes very emotional seeing the benefit the fundraising does, and seeing the hardships these people have overcome,” he commented.

In January, Andy decided that he needed another fundraising challenge, so one evening, after a discussion over a couple of glasses of red wine with his wife, Claire, the couple decided to take part in BBBR.

Andy said:?“We will be cycling alongside 200 fellow fundraisers and members of the wounded, injured and sick military community. We have been assured that we will experience a physical and emotional challenge unlike any other.”

The husband and wife team are hoping to raise £6,000 between them in aid of Help for Heroes, so they will be taking part in a number of static cycle rides on a turbo-trainer.

The first one will take place on Saturday, April 8th outside Ross Labels between 11am and 4pm. They are hoping to greet lots of visitors, and if their supporters are correctly able to guess the distance they will cycle on the day, they can win a special Help for Heroes prize.

“We are very pleased and proud to be supporting Andy and Claire in this arduous endeavour” says Director of Labels, Rachel Addison, “Help for Heroes is a really worthy cause and I am sure that they will do well both on the bike ride and here at our store.”

To sponsor Andy and Claire, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/The-Mad-Herberts