HUSBAND and wife Helen and Simon Cartwright are putting their pedal power to the test in a bid to cycle more than 700 kilometres across the Alps.

The Northwich couple will leave Geneva on June 20 on a gruelling seven-day journey that will see them cross 17 mountains before finishing in Nice on the French coast.

During the trip they will ascend more than 66,000 feet, more than twice the height of Everest, as they follow the famous Route des Grandes Alpes.

Helen, 39, and Simon, 44, are taking on the mammoth mountain ride to help raise awareness of suicide prevention support and the work of the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

They have an online justgiving page, and have raised more than £1,200 towards their £3,000 target.

Each year in the UK almost 6,000 people take their own lives, and more than 75 per cent will be men.

Helen and Simon were directly affected by suicide when Simon’s best friend took his life, and the couple wanted to do more to let people know that help and support is available for them.

“Some years ago Simon lost a soul-mate to suicide,” said Helen.

“He called on his friend only to find he had sadly taken his own life. In the aftermath, feelings of guilt, anger and sorrow ensued.

“More than anything though, were questions; the attempt to piece everything together; the search for reasons; the realisation that Simon’s friend’s inner feelings and state of mind had been masked by increasingly erratic behaviour.

“The more Simon reflected - he still does now - the more he knows that his friend was in an ever-darkening place. He should have done something about it, but where could he have turned?

“Since 2006 CALM has offered support to men who are down or in a state of crisis, and seeks to address the cultural barrier that stops men from seeking help.

“The stereotypical man is expected to be ‘on the level’ and strong all of the time. Anything else is deemed to be weak and a loss of manhood.

“Simon and I want to raise awareness of suicide prevention and the great charities that can help with support and advice.

“People can learn more about our story and follow our journey online via cyclethealps2015.com and can donate through www.justgiving.com/CycleTheAlps2015.”

CALM can be found on Twitter @theCALMzone, Instagram @CALMzone and on Facebook www.facebook.com/theCALMzone.