Weston Hospicecare says it is delighted after a group of friends raised almost £2,000 for the charity by cycling 250km around the Netherlands.

The Dashing Divas – otherwise known as Anita Wiegel, Emily Edwards, Andrea Morelle and Pauline Finnimore – took on the challenge in memory of Anita’s husband Mike Lloyd, who was cared for by the hospice before his death last year.

The group decided to take on the cycle around the city of Gouda as Anita is Dutch, and Mike’s nickname for her throughout their marriage was ‘clog’.

Anita said: “My beloved husband Mike fell ill in December 2014.

“Finally, in June 2015, a junior consultant did some tests and Mike was diagnosed with melanoma and was given two weeks to live.

“Despite there being a waiting list at Weston Hospicecare, they took Mike in the next day and looked after him and I with so much love and dignity for the last week of his life.

“We decided that we wanted to raise some much-needed money for the hospice.

“It means a great deal to all of us to be able to say thank you to Weston Hospicecare for the kindness and love they gave to our family and friends, who have called upon their services.”

The group has regularly been cycling around Somerset during the past two years and were encouraged by Mike to go out and enjoy the county’s beautiful scenery throughout his illness.

The hospice’s community and events manager Sally Davis said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to Anita, Andrea, Pauline and Emily for raising such a phenomenal amount for the charity.

“It’s thanks to supporters like them that we can carry on supporting local people with life-limiting illnesses.”

To donate to the Divas’ cause visit their JustGiving page.