TWO friends are taking on a gruelling cycling challenge in aid of a mental health charity after both losing loved ones to suicide.

Deborah Morgan, 43, and Nikki Morley, 52, will be cycling 500 miles in five days to raise money for Mind and help to spread awareness of men’s mental health.

Both are members of Winsford Wheelers and Weaver Valley Cycling Club in Northwich – but this will be no small challenge for the duo.

Deborah, who lives in Winsford, explained: “We are riding 500 mile over five consecutive days starting on August 4 to raise awareness of men’s mental health and hopefully some money for the charity Mind.

“We will do circular trips leaving from Winsford in hail, rain or shine.

“Nikki and I are keen cyclists but this will push our limits.

“A normal ride is about 30 miles and we might do that three times a week, so it’s certain this is going to be mentally and physically challenging.

“We have been training throughout the summer to increase our fitness and endurance levels for sitting in the saddle.

“Nutrition has been an important factor in our training to ensure our bodies are well-fuelled and ready for the stress of lengthy rides.”

Both Deborah and Nikki hope to both encourage men to talk about how they feel, as well as encourage women to look out for their dads, brothers, sons, uncles, husbands, and any other family members or friends.

They say statistics show that while poor mental health will affect most people at some point in their lives, it is ‘recognised that men will often struggle in silence and find it harder to talk or reach out for help’.

“I am riding in memory of my brother, Ross , who died by suicide two years ago at the age of 31,” Deborah said.

“Nikki is riding in memory of a family friend who died from suicide at the age of 20.

“There are some shocking statistics, but men are more likely to suffer in silence, they are less likely to open up and seek help for friends of professionals.

“We live in a modern world and there is no reason why it has to be this way.

“I want to encourage women and society that we need to look out for our men, we need to change this culture.

“’It’s OK not to be OK’.”

To donate to Deborah and Nikki’s fundraising challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/nikki-morley1.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can visit samaritans.org.

To find out more about Mind and the work it does, visit mind.org.uk.