A group of friends are taking part in a bike ride across to Pyrenees to raise funds for a charity founded in memory of Winchester teen, Cameron Bespolka.

A team of 18 cyclists, led by James Turner and Geoff Smailes, will cycle Coast to Coast across the Pyrenees to raise money for the Cameron Bespolka Trust - a charity set up by the parents of the teenager who tragically died in a skiing accident during a family holiday in Austria in 2013.

The group of 14 men and 4 women, many of whom until recently were non-cyclists, will set off on September 10 from Biarritz on the Atlantic coast of France and then cycle 700km to Argèles-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean, across the Pyrenees mountains.

During the six day trek across France, travelling an average of 130km a day, the team will climb to heights of 13.5km, facing drastic changes in temperature and highly changeable weather conditions, while visiting some of the most infamous mountains featured in Le Tour de France, such as the Col du Tourmalet, Col de Peyresourde and Col de Jau.

“The Coast to Coast route is a perfect way to remember and honour Cameron because he loved the outdoors,” said Geoff Smailes.

“Cameron’s favourite times were spent in nature, and he particularly loved watching birds in flight. As the team climb and cross the mountains on our bikes, we’ll think of Cameron and his passion for birds, fresh air and the lessons we can all learn by appreciating the environment around us.”

The Cameron Bespolka Trust is a charity that enables young people from Hampshire and across the UK to develop an interest and passion in nature that might otherwise not be accessible to them.

The Trust operates programmes for children and teenagers in conjunction with partners such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the RSPB, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust as well as Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

They also sponsor the Young Bird Photographer of the Year Award and are in the process of creating a place to be called “Cameron’s Cottage” that will become a residential centre for children and teenagers to learn about the environment and wildlife.