A school is appealing for a sponsor to help support a fundraising bike ride.

Five members of staff from West Hatch High School in Chigwell are cycling to the school from West Hatch, a hamlet in Somerset.

The ‘West Hatch to West Hatch’ ride starts on July 16, before a welcoming party greets them at the school in High Road three-and-a-half days later on July 19.

The ride will be raising money for a students’ trip to Borneo.

But the staff are covering the costs of accommodation and meals themselves, and the school is looking for a sponsor so a goodwill gesture does not leave the riders out of pocket.

It was the brainchild of head of house Steve Windsor, who will be riding alongside head of house Guy Blain, assistant headteacher Anthony Sinfield, specialist teacher Gay Shillaker and geography teacher Robyn Turtle.

He said: “I’m definitely ready for it, I do a fair bit of road cycling, but this will be the furthest any of us will have done consistently over three-and-a-half days.

“I’m going to do a 50-mile sportive in Saffron Walden on July 3 to get myself warmed up, Gay and Guy will join me.

“Only Gay and I are real regular cyclists, the others might be in for a bit of a shock, especially with the pain from the saddle further into the journey.”

None of the five riding will be heading to Borneo for the trip in 2017, but Mr Windsor believes it is important to do what they can to help the 33 students planning on going on the trip to get there.

He added: “We want to give the children the opportunity to go on this trip – it’s not a jolly, it’s very much a community-based project with social and environmental action.

“It’s a good thing they’re doing, it’s not a holiday, there’s a purpose to it.

“But they need to raise nearly £4,000 and obviously that won’t be easy, so we’re doing what we can to help them all reach their target.”

The bike ride is not the only fundraising event for the trip, and Year 10 pupils heading to Borneo will be trying to get everyone at the school to donate a pound next Wednesday (June 29).

To donate to the riders, click here or to sponsor their costs, contact Caroline Haines at chaines@westhatch.essex.sch.uk.