A kind-hearted nurse is hopping into the saddle as part of a mammoth bike ride that will see her stop off at a children's hospice next to Loch Lomond.

Francesca Lennon, a paediatric nurse, will set off on the ambitious, 70-day cycle on June 20 and plans to cycle between all 54 children’s hospices in the UK in a bid to raise more than £500,000 to support their work.

She aims to arrive at Robin House in Balloch, run by Children's Hospices Across Scotland, on July 16 as part of her efforts to raise funds and increase awareness of the hospices’ work.

Francesca also recently set up ChatUK, a project supporting Together for Short Lives, the UK charity for children’s palliative care.

She commented: “ChatUK is inspired by the children and families I have cared for as a nurse, seeing first-hand what they face every day and the difference the support of a children’s hospice makes.

“I wanted to bring people together to raise awareness and funds for children’s hospices and to show families of seriously ill children how much we care – but I didn’t know how until I attended a talk by Ben Fogle where he said to ‘Find your Everest’, which led to the idea of cycling around every children’s hospice in the UK.

“Given I didn’t actually own a bike and hadn’t ridden one since I was a child, it has definitely been an Everest to get to where I am today.

"I am incredibly privileged to be a part of children and families lives at some of the hardest times imaginable and am very grateful that ChatUK will enable further support for seriously ill children across the UK in getting the care they need and deserve.”

Starting in Oxford at Helen and Douglas House, the route will take Francesca across the UK including Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Cambridge, Sheffield, Belfast, Scotland and many more, with stops at every children’s hospice service across the nation. The ride is beginning at the start of Children’s Hospice Week (June 20-26).

Donations can be made at JustGiving.