A Norwich father will be will be flying to Vietnam on Thursday as he takes on a cycling challenge for charity.

Chris Jones, of Albany Road, off Magdalen Road, will be cycling 410 miles across the country in 10 days as he raises money for the Lymphoma Association.

The trip will see him travel across a variety of terrain, including high into the mountains, as he rides between 40 and 100 miles a day as part of a group of cyclists.

Mr Jones, 36, has previously taken part in 10km runs for the Lymphoma Association, but decided to do more as part of the charity's 25th anniversary.

He had first got involved with the charity when a friend's dad died from lymphoma – the UK's fifth most common cancer.

Mr Jones said: 'Lymphoma is particularly nasty and quite often there is little or no treatment for people affected by it.

'You can decline quite quickly and need an awful lot of support and palliative care, and that is what the charity does really well.'

The choice to do the ride was made when he saw the challenge in the charity's newsletter and spoke to his wife Louise, 34, about the idea.

He said: 'I was looking to set myself a challenge this year as I find it difficult to sit still and not have something to work towards.

'I was looking through their leaflet before Christmas and didn't really give it much though. I am a cyclist and thought I'd go ahead and book it. I've been fundraising ever since.'

The service manager at Stonham Homes has held cake sales, a toddler walk, pub quizzes and teddy bears picnics, as he strives to raise �3,000 for the charity.

He said: 'To be honest I have been blown away by it. The nature of the challenge, with the length of it and where it is, has made it easy for people to get into, but I have been amazed with the amount of support from friends, family and work colleagues.'

Mr Jones, who has a 20 month old daughter called Freya, cycles to work regularly and has been trying to go on longer rides as part of his training.

He said: 'To be honest it is a mixture of excitement and nervousness, I am not sure what to expect but am excited at the prospect of doing it after a year of planning.'

To sponsor him visit www.doitforcharity.com/Christopherj or contact the Lymphoma Association fundraising team on 01296 619419.

Are you taking on a challenge for charity? Contact Local Life editor Richard Wood on 01603 772423 or email richard.wood@archant.co.uk