Kathryn Pashley, 32, is one of the ten self-styled ‘Tandem Virgins’ – so called because they were all new to riding tandems. The ten women have raised an incredible £3,200 so far for Epsom-based children’s disability charity, MERU. The convoy left Bushy Park, Hampton at noon on the hottest day of the year so far, arriving in Marble Hill Park, Twickenham at 2pm – having crossed Kingston Bridge and Twickenham Bridge en route. None of the ten women had ever sat on a tandem before. In fact the first time they attempted to ride one was on the day of the event!

As if the tandems weren’t eye-catching enough, the Tandem Virgins all wore fancy dress in the theme of famous couples or duos, including William and Kate, Batman and Robin and Thelma and Louise! Each tandem was decorated with items relevant to each duo, such as Union Jacks for William and Kate and mobile phones for the 118 boys – not to mention an essential collection bucket, for the many enthusiastic supporters to throw donations into!

Vicky Cable, MERU’s Volunteer Coordinator – who created and organised the Ten Tandem Virgins event – commented: “It was great to make a difference to such a worthwhile charity by organising a unique and fun event like this. It very hot and humiliating but we all had a great time!”

The Ten Tandem Virgins want to raise £5,000 for MERU’s newly launched campaign: The Bugzi Project. Supported by Top Gear star, Richard Hammond, it aims to raise £100,000 to fund a fleet of highly specialised wheelchairs for children under five. These will be loaned free-of-charge to families who need them. To support the Tandem Virgins please visit their online fundraising page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/10TandemVirgins

The five tandems were generously lent by Leatherhead charity, Seeability which runs a weekly tandem club, where volunteers take visually impaired people for a cycle ride.

Adventurous Vicky will also be undertaking an awe-inspiring rally to Mongolia in July, to raise further funds for MERU. She will be part of one of six teams attempting to drive recently decommissioned ambulances to the Mongolian capital, Ulanbataar. The ambulances will then be donated to local hospitals – doubling their emergency care capacity.

For more info, go to www.meru.org.uk