STAFF at a Bishop Auckland supermarket will spend their weekend "cycling to Lapland" without leaving the store.

Employees of Tesco Extra in St Helen Auckland started their cycling challenge today (December 7) and will continue tomorrow and on Sunday.

They are taking it in turns to pedal for 15 minutes on a cycle machine at the front of the store and, together with around 20 other North-East stores, hope they will ride the equivalent of the 4,000 mile trip to Lapland.

The challenge is being held to raise money for Cancer Research UK, Tesco’s chosen charity of the year.

Community champion for the St Helen Auckland store Donna Goldsborough said: “We will be cycling form 9am to 7pm every day and so far the response from both staff and customers has been fantastic.

“We know how generous our customers are and they are proving it once again by supporting our efforts.”