A ‘HARE and tortoise’ are cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise funds for their children’s primary school, writes Kate Cotton.

Dads Lee Muscott (the hare) and Tim Mitchell (the tortoise) are hoping to raise £25,000 for Abbotskerswell Primary School’s IT equipment, cycling on the 1,200-mile Sustrans route.

The school’s theme this term is ‘endeavour’ and pupils will be closely following the pair’s progress via daily link-ups through Sat Nav and Go Pro cameras.

The cyclists leave on Monday, February 26 and plan to be at Land’s End for Friday, March 9.

Buffy Mitchell, Tim’s wife, said: ‘They’re spending every spare moment training for this mammoth undertaking.

‘They’re cycling 1,200 miles on the Sustrans route, which adds an extra 200 miles. Just to make it a bit harder, it’s being done on mountain bikes with bumpy tyres, and the direction chosen means they’ll be cycling into the wind.

‘And in the freezing month of February and in just 12 days it really is going to be an endeavour.

‘The epic journey has been dubbed the hare and the tortoise, after the fable, because of the riders’ different shapes, speeds and riding styles.

‘If I’m honest, my husband is the tortoise, but I’m sure he’ll make it. He has determination!’

Buffy said the whole school has got behind the challenge, tying it in with their theme ‘endeavour’.

She said: ‘The school has tied it in with the curriculum and their theme “endeavour”.

‘The children have made tortoise shells and hare ears and posters to support the adventure.’

The school is in the process of upgrading its IT equipment, and the funds raised by the cyclists will assist phase two.

A spokesman for the school said: ‘The school is integrating the journey into many aspects of the curriculum, giving the children a real lesson in the meaning of “endeavour” – this term’s learning theme.

‘During the 12 days the children will be live linking to the hare and tortoise, as well as learning much about nutrition, exercise, geography and determination.

‘We will update social media regularly as they endeavour to change the education experience for our children and the rest of the village.’

After the Easter break, the new IT equipment will be available to those in Abbotskerswell who wish to learn how to use the Internet.

To check the progress of the cyclists and donate visit www.justgiving.com /campaigns/charity/abbotskerswell-ptfa/haretortoise18.