A GROUP of Lifton men are setting their sights on tackling the Great River Race in London, having already raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) with a charity cycle last year.

The Lifton Bikers last year raised £34,000 cycling from John O’ Groats to Lands End, in support of their friend Jeremy Durrant, who suffered from Motor Neurone Disease before sadly passing away last year.

Now a group of Lifton men, calling themselves the ‘Lifton Self Preservation Society’ are busy training to row a pilot gig 21.6-miles from London Docklands to Ham in Richmond on September 9.

This date marks the birthday of one of the society’s members Paul Davies, who said their latest challenge, also in aid of the MNDA, will be exactly a year since they set off to Scotland to start their ‘JOGLE’ cycling challenge.

The latest idea came about from Cornish pilot gig builder Brian Nobbs, who built ‘IRON MAID’ in 2006 and has lent it to them for the race.

Mr Davies said: “Brian suggested in the pub, if he could get hold of a gig, would we race. We thought it was a cracking idea. It’s fundamentally the same group of people. We are all Lifton based, we all knew Jeremy, who died of Motor Neurone Disease.”

Ten of them have been training with the Tamar and Tavy Gig Club, under the direction of Jeremy Lawrence.

Although ten have been training, seven will actually row on the day, with others acting as support crew.

Mr Davies added: “We have been practising every Sunday down on the Tavy from Weir Quay. It’s very different to cycling — different muscles!

“Everyone’s really committed. We do have fun and we mess around but everyone’s taking training very seriously. We have got six weeks left to train, then we are in at the deep end!

“There are definitely nerves. None of us have ever rowed a gig before we started in March time. It’s all about challenging ourselves. Hopefully it creates some awareness in the community of the MNDA.

“We have had a couple of fundraisers already this year — a wine and wisdom at the Arundell Arms, and we were kindly invited by a band called Feedback, celebrating their 10th anniversary at Lifton Strawberry Fields. They put on this event as a charity event and split the proceeds between ourselves and the pancreatic cancer charity.”

They also took their gig to Tavistock Carnival recently.

To support the group, go to the Virgin Money Giving website uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for Lifton Self Preservation Society.