A MEAVY parish councillor and his best friend are in France this week, aiming to raise more than £5,000 for charity by cycling through the Loire Valley.

Mark Harding, 49, and Alan Pearson, 46, are boosting the funds for the St James's Place Foundation and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

In a bid to get into the spirit of the sport, the men had their legs waxed prior to their cycling challenge at the Cornish Arms in Tavistock last week.

Cllr Mark Harding said he was not sure which would be the most painful, the leg waxing or the 248 mile journey over three days.

St James's Place Foundation is the charity arm of the St James's Place Wealth Management Group where Mr Pearson is a senior partner. Since 1992 when the charity was founded more than £24-million has been raised for hundreds of charities.

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation harnesses the power of sport to promote social change and celebrate sporting excellence. The bike ride aims to raise £100,000 in total for the charities.