A father and daughter team are hoping to take on a mammoth challenge to raise money for a good cause, while raising awareness of their niche hobby.

Kevin Richardson and his daughter Lauren, from Hoo, are hoping to cycle from Lands' End to John o' Groats to raise money for the RNLI.

However, with the uncertainty of how long lockdown is going to last, the pair are looking at other ways they can still raise money.

The plan had been to cycle the 874 mile (1,406 km) route with the help of their amateur radio equipment. They wanted to test how well it could cope on an extended cycling trip, and use it to plot their location on Google Maps.

After taking in a climb of Ben Nevis and reaching John o' Groats, they were looking to carry on to Cape Wrath Lighthouse in the north west Highlands in time for an event called International Lighthouses Weekend on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23.

The pair wanted to host a special radio event from there, before returning home.

While the expedition could still go ahead, Kevin decided in the meantime he would complete a solo bike ride around the coast of Britain, but from the comfort of his garage.

For his challenge, which started on Sunday, April 26, he has hooked his radio equipment to his bike so he can broadcast to other radio enthusiasts in Kent and Essex.

The 55-year-old teaching assistant said: "There's a big cloud over it [the main fundraiser], that's what's led to the latest madcap idea.

"The RNLI is close to our hearts; we know people who have needed to use them and it combines with the radio stuff as this May is SOS Radio Week."

Kevin said amateur radio was the "original social networking" and was very useful, particularly during the time of lockdown.

He said: "There's lots of amateur radio stations doing stuff; we have been using the radio to keep in contact with amateur radio users throughout the country.

"Rather than focussing on what we can't do, we are focussing on what we can do."

"It's a lifeline for older users and we have been using the radio to keep in contact with them and do welfare checks on them.

"It's not old fashioned – we use satellites, we can do all sorts of geeky things with it.

"It's a unique hobby. It's giving us something to focus on during the lockdown; rather than focussing on what we can't do, we are focussing on what we can do.

SOS Radio Week runs throughout May with the aim of showcasing the work of the RNLI and the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), who use radio technology for their rescues.

Amateur radio enthusiasts are encouraged to take part to raise awareness of the work of the two charities throughout the month, as well as raising money.

Kevin is also planning a special broadcast on Sunday, May 8, to celebrate the anniversary of VE Day.

He and his daughter Lauren, 15, are always thinking of ways to combine their love of radio with his other hobbies of cycling, canoeing and walking.

Last year, they completed a 450 mile (724km) cycle from Dover to Lands' End on their vintage bikes.

So far, the pair have raised £150 on their GoFundMe page towards their £5,000 target which will cover the cost of the expedition should it go ahead, and fundraising for the RNLI.

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