If you see two Second World War soldiers riding period bikes through Shepton Mallet this week there's no need to rub your eyes in disbelief. Nor is it the filming of a time-travel episode from Dr Who.

It will be two dedicated fundraisers, cycling in the heavy woollen uniforms of the time, from John O'Groats to Land's End, while also completing the Three Peaks Challenge, on foot.

When 26-year-old Richard Brown was turned down by the military, he was determined to show his strength by supporting wounded veterans, while honouring the memory of his grandfather, in an epic fundraising challenge for the Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes.

Last summer he took on the challenge of swimming the length of 12 stretches of water in the Lake District and, this year – together with his best friend 23-year-old Jakeem Addman – he's attempting to cycle the length of the country dressed as Second World War soldiers and riding replica 1940s bikes.

They set off from John O' Groats on July 27 and will travel from Hereford to Shepton Mallet on Thursday (August 12) as they head down to Land's End, via Clayhidon, in mid-Devon, and Plymouth.

Richard said: "I always wanted to serve and tried all three services, but, as a teenager, I suffered from OCD and anorexia and, despite battling to get in and going through the appeal process, I was unsuccessful.

"I decided if I couldn't join them, I might as well do what I can to try to help them. I had been training constantly for the past 10 years in preparation for joining the military, however, after the 10-year appeal battle finally came to an end last year, I thought I might as well put all this effort and training into good use, and that's where the idea for doing a challenge started.

"Last year, I did my first open-water swim in the Lakes for Help for Heroes – and completed all 12 stretches of water over seven days, a total of 50 miles. It was gruelling but I proved to myself what I could achieve.

"I thought about what my grandad, Peter Cooper, who served in the Parachute Regiment, had been through in World War II and that put the physical and mental strength I had to find into perspective."

Help for Heroes relies on the generosity of the public for the majority of its funding and saw a loss of approximately 75 per cent to its income from national collections during 2020, as a result of the pandemic.

Richard met Jakeem, a former army cadet and professional abseiler, while studying for an Outdoor Leadership degree at the University of Cumbria and they have been close friends ever since.

As well as enjoying the scenery, they will pass military bases and war memorials along the route to pay their respects.

Richard said: "We are hoping to push ourselves through a big challenge to try to capture that great British spirit of no matter how hard it is, have a laugh about it, have a cup of tea and crack on with a smile on your face."

Trevor Fudger, area fundraising manager at Help for Heroes, said: "We would like to thank Richard and Jakeem for what they are doing to help veterans and their families across the UK through their amazing challenge."

The marathon fundraising trek will raise money for Help for Heroes and the mental health charity Mind. To donate to Help for Heroes visit: www.justgiving.com/team/ride-4-heroes.