TWO cyclists are making a four-day bike ride in memory of a friend who died from cancer.

The chairman of Wear Valley Development Association, Anthony Walters, and Planarch Design town planning consultant John Lavender are planning to cover 200 miles on their mountain bikes.

The Bishop Auckland pair have already received pledges of almost £5,000 that will be donated to Cancer Research and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

They set off from Newcastle on Wednesday on the long haul to Edinburgh via Tynemouth, Berwick and the Tweed Valley, hoping to end with a 32-mile last leg today.

Both riders decided to take part in the marathon effort in memory of their friend, Bishop Auckland estate agent Paul Stronach, who died from cancer at the age of 38 after it developed in his spine.