Help keep Kent’s air ambulance flying high by taking part in the KM Big Bike Ride.

The fundraising challenge takes place on Sunday, April 28.

Participants have a choice of 100km and 50km routes taking in the beautiful east Kent coast and countryside, and cyclists interested in taking part are urged to book now before the event sells out.

Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance fundraising assistant Katie Rose said any money raised for the charity could help make the difference between life and death.

She said: “The air ambulance tries to save lives by providing the best possible care every day of the year.

“None of us ever know when we or our family or our friends or our community might need this vital service.

“Last year alone, we were called out to help over 2,000 people in life-threatening conditions.

“We want to make sure we are available each and every time someone needs us, which is why the air ambulance needs your support to keep flying high.

“Keeping a charity like ours running is costly and complicated: it costs over £11 million a year to continue our life-serving work.

“This sounds like a lot of money and it is, but every penny we receive is truly valued and you can help make a difference by participating in a fun event like this.”

The ride starts and finishes at Betteshanger Park near Deal.

Riders can take part just for fun, or to raise money for any good cause of their choice. 70 per cent of sponsorship money will go to the participants’ chosen charities, with the rest helping to fund the KM Charity Team’s child literacy and road safety work in Kent.

And any individual raising £200 or more for charity will go into a draw to win a pair of Eurostar tickets.

It costs £30 per person to take part in the ride, but there is a £5 discount when booking with the discount code KMNews19.

The ride is supported by Vattenfall, Herberts Cycles, the Southern Co-operative, SE Medical and Benenden Hospital Trust.

Find out more and book your place at kmbigbikeride.co.uk or kmcharityteam.co.uk/booking/.

And watch a video in which Ms Rose talks about the challenge here: