Two Machynlleth men are currently pedalling their way across Europe to mark VE Day and raise money for Help for Heroes.

Rhydian Mason and Dai Hennighan are cycling 400km from Buckingham Palace to Germany, following the path of World War Two Allied Forces to Rheine in Germany.

Rhydian is the grandson of a Dunkirk and D-Day veteran Elwyn Mason and completed a ride for the charity last year, cycling from Normandy to Paris to commemorate the 80th anniversary year of the D-Day landings and the liberation of Paris, raising over £4,500 in the process.

He said: “It had such a huge impact on me, from experiencing the generosity of people contributing to my fundraiser, to training for such a big cycle ride, and of course the actual journey itself through France, riding with a number of people who owed their lives to Help for Heroes. And of course to cycle through Normandy along roads that my Grandfather would have known in the Summer of 1944 was an experience in itself.

“This year I’ll be cycling on part of the route my Grandfather took in 1945, through Holland and into Germany.

“Having ridden with so many last year who owe so much to Help for Heroes, and having got a far better understanding of the support they provide to ex-service men and women, I felt I needed to do more to help the charity, so naturally I decided, on another whim, to commit to supporting them again this year and take on this mammoth journey on a bicycle."

Dai said: "This year I turned 60 and decided to do something for both myself and a charity.

"During the cycle we will see Hennighan's turn 43 years, a business that I have devoted my life and soul into creating some of the best fish & chips in the country this is why I wanted to do something for myself and a charity that I feel passionate about."

The four-day ride will finish on Saturday, 21 June.

Both men have set up Justgiving pages.

You can see Dai's here and Rhydian's here.