FATHER and son team Phil and Alex Duffell are cycling almost 400 miles from Scotland to Swindon to fundraise in memory of wife and mother Ainslie Duffell.

The pair, who live in Swindon, will be joined by three other cyclists in a bid to raise thousands of pounds in memory of Ainslie who died from breast cancer at the age of 47. The money will be used to rebuild a Wiltshire cricket pavilion in her name.

They will cycle from Moffat in Scotland to Lydiard Millicent, near Swindon, in Wiltshire over four days from Monday to Thursday next. The team of five include Phil and Alex another father and son team Chris and Nik Voss and Andy Wakeley, who lives in Royal Wootton Bassett.

The charity cycle ride is called Ainslie's Lifecycle as it involves visiting places which were important to her. Starting at Moffat (Ainslie's birthplace), the ride continues via Keele University, where Phil and Ainslie met and Blunsdon, Wiltshire, where they married before finishing at Lydiard Millicent, where Ainslie's funeral was held.

Ainslie’s friends from Keele University have already planted a tree in her memory at the campus and Phil and Alex will visit it for the first time.

Ainslie’s favourite colour was purple and she insisted everyone who came to her funeral wore something purple so the team of cyclists will also wear purple for the ride. Sponsorship has been provided by Persimmon Homes and Hargroves Cycles of Swindon.

Ainslie was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease 12 years ago and underwent many bouts of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgeries. She died in February 2015.

By her side throughout was her husband Phil, 50, a well known sports journalist and cricket coach and their son Alex, now 15, who is a rising star in the Wiltshire cricket scene and a student at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy. Both are active members of Purton Cricket Club.

Phil said: “In Ainslie’s journal she wrote about the day Alex scored a century for the first time. She was unable to share this moment as the pavilion has no facilities or access for anyone in a wheelchair. It became too much of struggle for her to attend.

“In fact, as it’s a very old site, there are no changing facilities or toilets for women or girls. When we read her journal, we felt this was something we could do to create a lasting legacy to Ainslie – a place where Alex can remember his mum and know she was a very special person.”

To date, supporters of Ainslie’s Pavilion Project have raised more than £20,000 through a range of fundraising events. Anyone who wishes to support this cause can make a donation by visiting - https://mydonate.bt.com/events/ainslieslifecycle