FOUR Okehampton men have tackled a 102-mile cycle challenge to raise money for some of the most deprived children in Europe.

John Stepto, Tony Hemmingway, Roger Thorne and Andrew Morgan cycled along the Devon Coast to Coast Route 27 cycle path from Ilfracombe to Plymouth. The route follows the western flank of Dartmoor, largely tracing the course of former railway lines.

They took on the challenge to raise money for the House of Rachel. The charity has close links to orphanages in Bulgaria, which has the highest number of orphaned and abandoned children in Europe.

Through a varied programme of diverse projects the charity aims to improve the lives of these vulnerable children and equip them with life skills to help them in later life.

Andrew Morgan founded the charity.

He said: 'It was a brilliant weekend, that thankfully didn't leave us too shattered afterward. We trained well for it, so we were all as prepared as we could be.'

The team set off from Ilfracombe on Saturday November 12, cycling all the way to Okehampton.

Despite John's saddle continually falling off the bike, and a punctured tyre at Hatherleigh, the team arrived at Okehampton Baptist Church at around 4pm.

Andrew said: 'We received a very warm welcome from everyone at the coffee afternoon at the baptist church. It was a good afternoon and very well supported.'

After setting off on Sunday morning, the team had time for a poignant stop in Tavistock to lay a cross at the churchyard to pay respect to fallen servicemen and women on Remembrance Sunday.

A further tyre puncture and relentless terrain slowed their progress before they reached Plymouth Hoe and the final part of their journey.

The team thinks they have raised around £900 for the charity. They expressed thanks to everyone who sponsored them and helped make the challenge possible.

For more information on the House of Rachel, visit http://www.houseofrachel.org">www.houseofrachel.org