Two Croydon mums are to get in the saddle to raise money for charity.

Laura Lilienfeld and Debbie Money will be taking part in a gruelling 270-mile bike ride across Vietnam next March.

Spurring Laura on to complete the eight-day bike ride from Hanoi to Saigon will be the memory of her son Hamilton, who would have been eight on March 26.

Hamilton or Hal as he was known to his family - was born prematurely and Laura is taking on this challenge to raise funds for Tommy's, a medical research charity into premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage.

Laura, from Purley, will be joined by Debbie, a registered childminder from South Croydon, who is taking part in the challenge in aid of the NSPCC.

Training has started in earnest and Laura and mum-of-two Debbie can be found at LA Fitness in Purley which has provided them with free access to the fitness equipment.

The women are organising a bring and buy book sale and coffee morning at St Augustine's church hall this Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Books can be donated by bringing them along on the day.

Laura's children, Liberty, six, and five-year-old Jasper, are eager to be involved in fundraising in memory of their brother and are setting up a sponsored five-a-side football tournament NSPCC v Tommy's among their school friends.

And Laura, an IT consultant in Canary Wharf, has enlisted the help of web designer Terry Gault who has set up a site www.savingtinylives.co.uk detailing the mums' progress.

To find out more about the challenge or to sponsor Laura or Debbie visit www.justgiving.com/cyclechallenge2006 and then add either Laura or Debbie's full name.

Laura will be detailing the trials and tribulations of her training regime as she counts down to the bid day in a monthly diary. See next week's Croydon Guardian for her first column.