A TRANSATLANTIC cycle challenge is hoping to help a church money push get over the line.

Harwood Methodist Church has been totting up cash for the past nine years to build a new community centre and church in Longsight Lane.

The church’s fundraising group is hopeful that building can start early next year and has been staging various events to reach £50,000.

Now the public is being invited to get involved with a cycling challenge.

The church realised that when you search on the internet for Harwood Methodist Church the top results are for their Bolton church and one with the same name in Albuquerque, in the United States, and decided to cycle from one to the other.

They soon realised it was impractical to cycle it in reality, so decided that the best way would be on exercise bikes.

The Gym, in Bolton Gate retail park, has donated four bikes to the church and they will be setting up outside Debenhams in The Market Place from 2pm on Sunday.

Church member, Alison Davies said: “The whole process has taken a long time. We are hoping we can start building in the new year and we are very nearly there with the money.

“It has been a long time coming. It is really exciting.”

“When you Google Harwood Methodist Church it comes up with Harwood Methodist Church in Bolton and Albuquerque, someone thought it would be a great idea to cycle from one to the other.”

The land distance from the Harwood Church to its American namesake is around 2,027 land miles and the four bikes combined will need to reach this total.

As well as church goers and staff from The Gym, members of the public will be able to join in and jump on the bikes.

There will be competitions, including who can cycle the fastest mile.

The cycling will go on throughout the week, with the bikes on the go from 10am until 10pm from Monday to Friday. Mrs Davies said: “We just want to raise as much as possible but we want a minimum of £3,000.”

People can donate outside Debenhams, in The Gym or by going to justgiving.com/fundraising/hmc-cycle-challenge