Three family members have set off on a mammoth 1,268km cycle, which they plan to do in less than two weeks in a bid to raise cash for charity.

Steve and Elaine Gambrell, along with their son Michael - who runs local travel agency Footprint Travel - set off on Thursday to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The challenge holds particular significance for Elaine, who has faced cancer twice in the past five years.

She is treating the challenge as a celebration of being fit and well again.

After being impressed with the care she received at London’s King’s College Hospital during her treatment, she and her family felt it would be a fitting way to give something back.

The trio began their venture from their home in Ramsgate, and is combining their two passions, cycling and travel.

The trip will see them cycle to Dover then take the ferry across the channel where they will cycle from Calais through the French provinces of Champagne, Burgundy and Languedoc, before finishing in Montpellier in the South of France.

Once arrived in Montpellier, the family will stay with friends, Marie-Paul and Georges who they met on a trip to the French Alps nearly 20 years ago.

Marie-Paul is battling breast cancer, which the family feels makes the final destination all the more poignant.

To cover the super-size cycle, they aim to pedal 100km every day, and will stop along the way in campsites and hostels.

Their target is to raise £1,500 for Cancer Research, and they have set up a JustGiving page for donations, which can be found at justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-gambrell

You can follow their journey on the Footprint Travel Facebook page - facebook.com/FootprintTravel