The super-fit trio plan to cycle 800 miles from St Andrews to the centre of Paris in just 18 days, in aid of Save the Children.

Twenty-year-old Judith Telford, Ian Stewart (21) and Christine Mueller (23) were so moved by the charity's recent interactive web campaign in 'Kroo Bay' — a slum built on a rubbish dump of the banks of the filthy Crocodile River in Freetown, Sierra Leone, they decided to raise cash through an epic cycle.

Judith (20), from North Queensferry, told the Citizen: "All three of us are third year students at St Andrews University. We had a free summer and decided to do something challenging and undoubtedly worthwhile.

"We watched footage of the Kroo Bay health centre on the website and felt really inspired to help. They can't afford the drugs they need and with one in four children dying before their fifth birthday, Sierra Leone is one of the toughest places in the world for a child to survive."

Save the Children aims to highlight that it is simple for families in the UK to make a difference and as the months go by, the public will be able to watch the changes their donations have made for the residents of Kroo Bay via the website.

Judith, who is studying for a four-year Honours degree in Neuroscience, added: "We had the whole summer ahead of us before starting our final year and wanted to help by getting on our bikes and making a difference."

Their gruelling journey starts on August 11 and the students hope to cycle 50 miles a day to arrive in Paris on August 29.

Despite the tough schedule, they are confident they will reach their goal. Ian a Theoretical Physics Masters degree student, from Edinburgh, who is planning to join the Marines upon graduating, added: "We've worked incredibly hard to get fit for this journey and the planning process has been immense, from mapping the route to arranging where we'll camp each night.

"We've already had a huge amount of support from family, friends and organisations but we hope that people will continue to be generous."

Honours biology student Christine, who comes from Baesweiler-Floverich in Germany, added: "This will be something we'll remember for the rest of our lives and we hope to do our supporters proud."

To donate to Judith, Ian and Christine's Cycle Adventure, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/judithtelford. To visit the Kroo Bay site, go to http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/kroobay/