Bury 'beauties' taken on cycling challenge across south east Asia

Bury actress Nikki Sanderson, currently starring in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, will join friends Natalie Turner and Jess Lomax, both from Heywood, to take on the challenge this autumn.

Between October 26 and 31, the ‘Bury Biking Beauties’ will cycle 417km through Vietnam to Cambodia, the equivalent of riding from London to Brighton every day for five days.

The trio, who have known each other since the age of 18, are hoping to raise £15,000 for ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ charity which grants wishes for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

Natalie, aged 31, who works in wealth management, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for the ‘Make A Wish Foundation’ in January 2012.

She said: “We have been deliberating a challenge for a while now and decided on the cycle challenge, simply because it is just that – a challenge!

“None of us are cyclists and therefore we will be starting this entirely from scratch.

“However we believe that all the training and fundraising will be more than worth it as the money raised is going towards a very worthy charity.”

Nikki, aged 29, has been a patron of When You Wish Upon A Star for more than 10 years and this will be her fourth fundraising challenge for the cause, after running the London Marathon for the past three years.

For 31-year-old Jess, an HR manager, the cycle will be her first charity challenge and Natalie said all three friends are “extremely excited” to be involved in the punishing event.

She added: “Altho-ugh the thought of it is very daunting, we are all determined to get across that finish line and do ourselves, each other, friends and family and most importantly the char-ity proud!”

To make a donation: go to www.virgin moneygiving.com/team/burysbikingbeauties, text BBBB60 and an amount to 70070.

To keep up to date with the progress of the Bury Biking Beauties during their groundbreaking event in Vietnam and Cambodia, follow @bikingbeauties on Twitter.