CYCLING 170 miles in the wind and rain might not be to everyone's taste but for a group of 15 it was just the thing.

The group from the WAVE project, aged 15 to 56 completed the Way of the Roses Coast2Coast trail from Morecambe to Bridlington to combat mental health problems.

Graham Wood, who founded WAVE in 1999, said: "It was amazing, really amazing, it was a personal achievement but for the others as well just to see their faces was great.

“A lot of them are new cyclists some only just learnt to ride a bike one month before. So, a great achievement.”

WAVE is a Bolton based, non-profit organisation that work with individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to take on new and empowering adventures that push them outside of their comfort zone. The Bike2gether is a WAVE project funded by Big lottery.

The idea to take on the coast to coast challenge began with the Peak Connections group who work closely with adults struggling with anxiety as physical activity has been proven to benefit people with mental and physical disabilities.

The challenge took them a total of three days, in which they organised frequent stops with family members and even spent time camping together.

Five support crew members also took part in the ride, helping the group through a variety of terrain including paths, cycle lanes, country lanes and quieter roads.

Unfortunately for the group the cycle took place over the bank holiday weekend which was filled with torrential rain providing them with even more difficult conditions.

The youngest member to complete the 170 miles was Liam Openshaw who is 15 and a young mentor with WAVE and has also been nominated for an award at the Bolton Active Sports Awards as Young Volunteer of the Year.

The group are looking forward to taking on new and harder challenges. Mr Wood said: "We’ve been looking at what we can do next things like longer bike rides, different activities and ideas. We’re looking at doing a triathlon next year, so we’ll have lots of training for that.”

If you are interested in making a donation or have any enquires please contact waveadventure@outlook.com.