Chester school teacher, Toby Boram, is set to take on the epic challenge of cycling from his home in Chester to Murcia in Spain, all to raise vital funds to help greyhounds in the UK and their Spanish cousins, galgos.

Toby, who will be joined on his adventure by Andy Preston, of Essex, has had a huge amount of encouragement from supporters of Forever Hounds Trust, one of the charities that will benefit from his fundraising efforts. So much so that Honorary Friend of the Forever Hounds Trust, the BBC Springwatch presenter Martin Hughes-Games, recorded a special ‘good luck’ message for Toby.

In it, Martin advises Toby to “stick a banana down your shorts because it makes your bottom nice and soft and protects it on a long journey like that!” Toby will be cycling a total of 1500 miles over a period of two weeks, starting from 30^th July when he will set of from Vets4Pets in Brook Lane, Chester.

Toby and Andy, who joined the challenge after reading about it on social media, know they’re in for a tough time over the coming weeks. 54-year-old Toby says: “We know it isn’t going to be easy. I am not a professional cyclist. I ride the five miles to the school and back and spend time training in the evenings and weekends. It is going to be blisteringly hot and I am not looking forward to cycling the Pyrenees! But, raising money and spreading awareness of the plight of these dogs both at home and in Spain is what will keep us pedalling our 100 miles a day.

“We’ve not ruled out Martin’s advice though. Who knows, if the going gets really tough we may just try putting a banana in our shorts!”

Toby is a long-term supporter of Forever Hounds Trust, a charity dedicated to rescuing and homing greyhounds and lurchers in need. The money he raises from his challenge will go directly towards helping more dogs to live the lives they deserve, as much-cared for pets.

You can support Toby and Andy in their mission by making a donation to their fundraising page www.gofundme.com/tobyuk2spain or via www.paypal.me/tobyuk2spain

You can follow their progress via their facebook page, www.facebook.com/tobyuk2spain and also on their blog www.tobyuk2spain.blogspot.co.uk