JESS Marsh and Rob Cox from Bude are taking on the Prudential Ride London 100 this Sunday, August 2, to raise funds for the NSPCC.

The father-daughter duo have been training hard in the lead up to the race, clocking up hundreds of miles to ensure they’re in the best condition to take on the grueling challenge.

Held for the first time in 2013, Prudential Ride London immediately set new records as it became the largest inaugural mass-participation event in the world with over 66,000 participants and raised more than £7 million for charity — making it the largest charity cycling event in the UK.

This will be the third time Rob has taken on the 100-mile cycle, and having previously raised money for Macmillan in the last two races, this year he was awarded a ballot place.

Having supported her father for the past couple of years, Jess decided that 2015 was her time to give it a go herself, whilst raising some much needed funds for the NSPCC.

The NSPCC is the only charity fighting to end child abuse in the UK and Channel Islands.

They help children who’ve been abused to rebuild their lives, protecting those at risk, and finding the best ways of preventing child abuse from ever happening.

Just £10 a month could give a child the chance to receive one-to-one counselling, so any money Jess raises will be greatly received and put to good use.

She said: “The training has been hard, as I didn’t even own a bike until March!

“I never realised what a challenge it was going to be.

“I have put in a lot of time and miles and still 100 miles seems like a long way off.

“It’s been a tough few months, but the effort has been worth it as the last few weeks have been enjoyable.

“My aim is to finish in under seven hours.”

To sponsor Jess and make a real difference to a child in need visit her Just Giving page on www.justgiving.com/Jess-marsh1.

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week’s edition of the Post.