A team of West Yorkshire bobbies is preparing to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The event is the idea of the team captain, 39-year-old Detective Inspector Nick Wallen, based at Eccleshill, Bradford, who wanted to mark his 40th year and challenged his colleagues to tackle the 880-mile ride in 11 days.

The team, which comprises six detectives and one retired detective from the Homicide and Major Enquiries Team (HMET), along with PCSO Richard Baines, based at Keighley, who will act as support driver, will leave Land’s End on Friday, April 30, and aim to reach John O’Groats on Monday, May 10.

All of the team have experience of the devastating effect of cancer on families and friends. Det Insp Wallen said: “I am riding for my good friend, who recently lost her brave battle against pancreatic cancer.”

Detective Sergeant Gary Baines lost his grandmother to cancer in 2003 and more recently his father, who battled bowel cancer and then lung cancer.

He said: “In October 2009 I asked him if he would like to help in planning our cycle challenge and he was very upbeat about helping with the organisation and the fundraising.

“But sadly he was admitted to hospital on Christmas Day 2009, after having Christmas dinner with family. He had developed pneumonia and the cancer in his right lung had become more aggressive. My father passed away peacefully on January 12 this year.

“I will be doing this ride in his memory and hope to raise funds to assist in the research into this awful disease, so that people in the future may not have to go through what he did.”

To help the team raise their target of £6,000 visit justgiving.com/ hmetlejog2010 e-mail: claire.lomax@telegraphandargus.co.uk