TWO friends who lost their children to cancer have completed the ultimate road trip and raised thousands of pounds for charity along the way.

The Benidorm Bangers challenge saw Keith Leggett, from Carlisle, and his friend Mike Pryde, from Little Corby, take on a mammoth adventure.

Their aim was to drive from Carlisle to Benidorm in five days in memory of their children - Oscar Leggett and Megan Pryde.

The duo had hoped to raise £2,000 for the charities which had supported them when they were terminally ill - CLIC Sargent and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Not only did the pair complete their journey, they smashed their fundraising target - raising a final total of £5,809 to split between their two great causes.

Keith’s son Oscar died at the age of just 21 months, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

He said he knew it would be an emotional rollercoaster, but he wanted to do something positive in memory of Oscar and say thank you to the charity that helped them so much.

“The support my family and I got from CLIC Sargent was second to none, which we will always be entirely grateful for,” he said.

Mike took on the challenge for his daughter Megan, who died of bowel cancer at the age of 19.

Her legacy was to raise awareness of the condition and its symptoms in the hope of saving lives in the future.

Prior to her death, she also raised funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust - and Mike wanted to carry on that work. The family also had support from CLIC Sargent, so the challenge was the perfect opportunity to thank them both for their help.

“We had never heard of The Teenage Cancer Trust or CLIC Sargent before Megan was diagnosed but without their support, we would have struggled,” explained Mike.

The pair were joined on the journey by friends Mark Pearce and Johnny Wilson.

They were among hundreds of teams taking part in the Benidorm Bangers fundraiser, each in aid of their own charitries and for their own special reasons.

After leaving Carlisle and driving south, the team crossed the channel at Dover and headed through France - reaching Benidorm by April 27.

Along the way they took part in en-route competitions, including best car and best fancy dress, to try to secure extra prize money for their chosen charities.

Prior to the challenge, they also collected donations at Brunton Park, ahead of Carlisle United’s march against Cambridge. A CLIC Sargent spokeswoman said both charities were over the moon with the total. “We are immensely proud of them and thankful for their support,” she added.