A Leytonstone couple are taking on an infamous public transport challenge today in aid of a charity close to their hearts.

Helen Lippell, 38, and Simon Koppel, 42, of Wadley Road, are currently trying to reach all 270 stations on the Underground in one day.

They are supporting the Changing Faces charity, which helps people with injuries or conditions which affect their appearance.

Helen, a data consultant, said she is thrilled to be helping the charity because it helped her turn her life around.

“I was born with a cleft palate and while I was growing up there was almost no help with the non-surgical aspects of looking different,” she said.

When she was 16 a surgeon mentioned the charity and soon she met with founder James Partridge, who was severely burnt after a car accident at the age of 18, to overcome her shyness.

“It was life-changing,” she added.

“The experience has stayed with me for over 20 years and I still use the skills I first learned there every single day.”

Having set off from Chesham on the Metropolitan Line at 5.15am this morning Helen and Simon, a database manager, will be travelling for around 19 hours before their planned arrival at Heathrow at around midnight.

The couple, who have been together for over a decade, aim to pass through Waltham Forest at around 4pm.

Along with around 20 friends, they are being led by Geoff Marshall, the man who currently holds the Guinness World Record for the completing the challenge in the fastest time.

He visited all the stations in 16 hours, 20 minutes and 27 seconds on August 16 last year.

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