Two young friends are gearing up for an epic fundraising challenge when they cycle 50 miles for a Warwick charity this summer.

Carrick Hayre and Nicole Baker, from Knowle, hope to raise £1,000 when they cycle along a route between their homes and Molly Olly's Wishes charity HQ in Warwick town centre, on July 3.

The charity was established in 2011 following the death of Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw's eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.

It works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional wellbeing as well as grant wishes and donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Mascot of the charity is a therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave who has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy. These form part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 40 hospitals, along with a book from the charity's exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Part of more than £2.5m raised to date, has also been used to fund the first Molly Olly consultant in paediatric medicine at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Fourteen-year-old Carrick, who attends Arden School in Solihull, said: "I decided I wanted to do something for the charity when I started doing my Duke of Edinburgh Award last year. I like the charity because it helps children emotionally rather than physically, which I'm not sure that many other charities do so much."

Nicole, 13, a pupil at Solihull School, added: "I wanted a new challenge and decided to help the charity, especially after their struggle over the past year. I also love the fact that they help grant children's wishes."

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The pair are already well on the way to exceeding their £1,000 fundraising target.

Carrick said: "We're absolutely blown away by the response. People have been so generous."

Rachel Ollerenshaw said: "Both Carrick, Nicole and their families have been great supporters of Molly Olly's for many years. They have both taken time to really understand how the charity helps and the difference that we can make to children with life-threatening illnesses with the money raised.

'They have set themselves a challenge that is new to them and has required a lot of time training to build up the miles and we wish them lots of luck. Thank you to both of them and all those who have donated to their fundraising page."

Further information about Molly Olly's Wishes or how to donate can be found online here.

To support Carrick and Nicole's fundraising efforts, follow this link.