A cyclist is gearing up to take part in a 30-hour fundraising ride for Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust - with his route taking in parts of Welwyn Garden City and St Albans.

From June 29 to 30, Ben Marston of Puddingstone Distillery in Tring will be in the saddle of an Estarli eBike – donated by the company – for the more than 70-mile Ride Wild Challenge to raise money for the trust.

The route, which starts at Stockers Lake in the Colne Valley and ends at Ware Priory, will take in Grebe House and Wilder St Albans, Welwyn Garden City’s Lemsford Springs and Stanborough Reedbeds, as well as sites in Tewin and Panshanger.

“We’re really proud to be supporting the Ride Wild Challenge and the work of the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust,” said Ben and Kate Marston.

“Now we’re down to the final preparations, the scale of the challenge is dawning but we’re pretty confident it’s going to be achievable.

“Through it, we hope people see just how quick and easy it is to get out and visit their local wild spots.

“There is often so much wildlife to be found within a stone’s throw that we know little about so we’re really looking forward to this being a learning experience and to sharing the knowledge of the experts we’ll be meeting along the way.”

Sarah Croft, fundraising officer at Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust, is hoping the public will embrace the Ride Wild Challenge and the outdoors.

“This new and ambitious challenge has been a long time in the planning so it’s exciting that it’s nearly upon us,” she said.

“A lot of people have been involved in making it happen and we are grateful to our kind Ride Wild sponsors, Estarli for donating the bike and to Ben and Kate at Puddingstone Distillery for their huge contribution to the challenge.

“As this is a completely new venture for the Trust, we really hope that people will get behind it and sponsor Ben or buy raffle tickets, knowing that their money will be put to good use in protecting wild places and wildlife.”

In addition to sponsorship of the event to raise funds, The Trust is also raffling off the Estarli e20 eBike from the ride, which is worth over £1,200. Six people will also win a bottle of Puddingstone’s Ultrasonic Gin.

To find out more, visit www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/ridewildchallenge#donate.