ON April 24 a team of ten B&Q employees from across the UK set off on two wheels from Leominster, on the fifth leg of a 700 mile charity bike ride as part of B&Q's ongoing support for housing and homelessness charity, Shelter.

Aiming to raise £20,000 for Shelter with the week-long ride, they started out at 9am at the B&Q store on Mill Street, Leominster cycling 113 miles to reach their next destination of Swansea.

By the end of the week, the full bike ride will have taken the team 700 miles across the UK; the equivalent of cycling from London to Milan.

The ride is made up of seven stages and requires the riders to transfer between locations overnight, kindly managed by logistics partner Wincanton. Spending at least six hours in the saddle every day, each rider will burn a staggering 28,000 calories during the seven-day cycle-athon.

The team has been training in freezing temperatures and rain since Christmas, but this hasn't dampened their spirits. More colleagues will be joining the team en-route and there are static bike challenges taking place in B&Q stores as they pass through. Together, they're helping B&Q, the UK's leading home improvement retailer, to mark a year of its partnership with Shelter.

Steve Gilbert, lead cyclist of the B&Q team, commented: "This is absolutely the biggest physical and mental challenge any of us has taken on, as we're not professional cyclists, but it's going to be worth it. We're calling this the 'Tour de B&Q' and we really hope local residents will be cheering us on to get through this leg and raise funds and awareness for the important work Shelter does every day."

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter said: "Once again, B&Q and its staff have shown us incredible support with their pedal-power today. We wish them the best of luck with the 'Tour de B&Q' challenge. Every penny raised by this epic cycle-ride will help us to be there for even more families fighting bad housing and homelessness."

B&Q's partnership with Shelter stems from its ongoing commitment to make home improvement accessible for everyone, and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds so far. The leading home improvement retailer funds Shelter's team of specialist DIY advisers, and helps thousands more in housing need by supporting the charity's other frontline services and advice.