The students have embarked on a challenge to cycle from the UK to Rome, Italy with the aim of raising money for the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in Sheffield.

The students have organised and funded the trip independently without any backup support and all the money raised will go straight to Bluebell Wood.

The route takes them from Portsmouth to northern France by ferry then heading for Grenoble at the foothills of the Alps where they will be joined by their fourth team member Jonny.

After scaling the Alps, the team then cross into Italy, turning south and heading for the coast and their final destination of Rome.

The boys have chosen to support Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice as three of them have lived in Sheffield for the past four years after going to university there.

Rider, Andy Pennock, said: "We've loved our time in Sheffield especially having the peak district on our doorstep so in a way I think we wanted to give something back to the area by raising money for a local charity.

“It's so hard to choose one charity over another but when we found out the work that Bluebell Wood does we all wanted to try and help out by raising as much as possible and this charity provided us with that potential."

Andy Pennock added: "When we were planning where we could go, one of the areas we wanted to visit was the Alps.

“Although it sounds crazy, as mountains are not the easiest of places to cycle, especially when you're carrying your equipment on the back of your bike, the sense of achievement when you reach the summit of a mountain is amazing.

"So with this in mind we studied some maps and Rome was the standout choice of where to aim for as none of us have ever been. It looks like a fantastic city and it will be the perfect reward after all the hard work of cycling there."

The boys started the ride on June 11 and all is going well so far.

To sponsor the riders or for more information, visit the website at www.justgiving.com/allroadsleadtorome