These two former schoolfriends with a taste for adventure are to boost Yorkshire’s fight against cancer by taking part in a charity challenge – 4,500 miles away from home.

Ellen Scales and Laurie Norton, both 25, are preparing for their own voyage of discovery using pedal power to tour Cuba, a Caribbean country best known for its cigars, rum and revolutionaries Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.

They are raising money in aid of the £10 million appeal being held by Yorkshire Cancer Centre at St James’s Hospital in Leeds, where Laurie’s father, John – a salsa dancing fan with happy memories of visiting Cuba – was cared for until he died before Christmas.

The centre serves a population of 2.6 million covering Bradford, Airedale and the wider Yorkshire area.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to take part, having seen details of the trip while I was visiting my father in hospital” said Laurie.

“He enjoyed his time in Cuba and it seemed such an appropriate way of raising money to help other patients.”

They will be join on the 216-mile challenge by Sam Dawson, 33, of Birstall who has signed up with her Yorkshire Forward work colleague Karen Sanderson.

Supporters can make donations at justgiv ing.com/laurienorton, justgiving.com/ellen scales or justgiving.com/karenandsam.

For details of the challenge, go to york shirecancercentre.org/yccappeal