Two friends are gearing up to cycle almost 350 miles to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Dartford’s Ben Vella and his friend Nolan Willis will ride from the hospital to Whitstable, then on to Hythe, then Brighton, and then back to the hospital.

It will take them four days and they are hoping to raise £2,000.

Ben organised the challenge because he is indebted to GOSH for looking after his son Toby, who suffered collapsed lungs at birth and spent seven days in the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit.

GOSH monitored his health until just over a year ago and Ben believes that without their help Toby, who turns 16 next month, would not be the healthy young man he is today.

“He spent a fortnight in intensive care and all that time they put us up in a hotel nearby, which was amazing really,” he said.

“It costs £1,500 a day just to keep him in intensive care and obviously it’s not part of the NHS, it’s all down to donations and things to keep it going.

“They go over and above in everything they do and nurses from all over the world want to work there. The amount of people from different cultures we met was amazing.

“As I am really into my cycling and so is Nolan we just thought could we do something a bit extra to support them and do this ride.”

Ben and Nolan, both 40, work together at the Beadles Volkswagen dealership in Sevenoaks and are keen cyclists.

They are training hard ahead of the challenge, which will also see them carrying 20kg in supplies and spare clothes.

Laura Savory, fundraising manager at GOSH, said: “We are so grateful to Ben and Nolan for their generosity and support.

“The money raised will help to make a huge difference to young patients and families from across the UK.”

Ben and Nolan’s journey begins on Friday, October 13.

n You can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-vella1 and follow their progress on Twitter @Capital2CoastUK.