A couple are preparing for a charity trek with a difference - travelling through India on motorbikes.

White Notley couple Jim and Karen Patten decided against sponsored walks, silences and swims and opted for a biking fundraiser.

Mr and Mrs Patten, of The Street, will join 80 other riders on a journey that takes in tea plantations and the Indian jungle.

The pair hope to raise at least £3,000 each for cancer research before they jet out to Cochin early next year.

Mr Patten, the editor of Jaguar World magazine, said: "We've been going to India for ten years and think it's the most wonderful place.

"The people are fantastic. It's clear we've got more money than them but they never demand anything from us, apart from beggars in places like Bombay and Delhi.

"We've been into people's houses and it really is quite shocking. Some of the homes have no furniture - you just have to sit on the floor on a mat.

"Nothing is available for the Indian people in terms of medical treatment. If someone has cancer they just have to hurt, suffer and go."

The Enfield Bullet bikes they will ride are based on a British design but have been made in India for 50 years.

"We will either be camping in the jungle or in any other accommodation we can get," added Mr Patten.

A charity dinner is being held at Dhaka Brasserie, in Newland Street, Witham, on October 25.

Anyone wishing to support the cause can contact Mr and Mrs Patten on 01376 583662.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.