EXCITEMENT was high as a group of cyclists rolled out of Castlepoint on an 1,850-mile trip to fundraise for children in Ukraine.

The extraordinary three-week trip, organised by charity Ukraine Relief, saw the group set off from the shopping centre shortly after midday on Sunday, April 23.

Led by the charity’s founder, Karol Swiacki, the first leg of the trip will take the group to London, before riding to Felixstowe to get a ferry to Amsterdam.

From there, the group will cross four countries to reach their final destination in Kyiv.

Bournemouth Echo: Karol Swiacki giving a short speech before rolling out on the cycle to Ukraine.

Karol said he was “unsure but excited” to get the trip underway.

“We’ve got a fantastic army of hope behind us, with a lot of support from our charity. We have an amazing team in the van as a support vehicle,” he said.

“It’s amazing because the feeling of helping children in Ukraine, who were relocated, it’s something that we haven’t done before. I think this is a great opportunity to show support for the children.”

The group was joined on their first day by Castlepoint centre manager, David Pickett, who said he was looking forward to the day’s riding.

Bournemouth Echo: Ukraine flag on the back of one of the bikes that will be cycled to Ukraine.

“We’ve been working with Karol and Ukraine Relief for just over a year now,” David said.

“I do a bit of cycling in my spare time, and I thought it would be good to join them and see them off out of Bournemouth.

“I think it’s been amazing from day one, how people have got together. Karol has driven it the whole way and continues to drive it. We’ve just provided them with a unit from which to operate from.”

For the trip to Felixstowe, the support van will be driven by Ukraine Relief trustee, Alastair Young, before he too dons his cycling shorts to ride across Europe.

“I’m excited,” he said. “It’s a big challenge, but we’re doing this to raise money for the children in Ukraine.

“We want to do our bit to support them to let them know that we haven’t forgotten them, we support them, and we’re with them.”

Bournemouth Echo: Support Vehicle for the Ukraine Relief cycle to Ukraine.

Before setting off, Karol gave a rousing speech and thanked the sponsors and those who had supported the charity over the past year, and for the challenge.

He said: “It’s a great thing that we’ve done together, and I’m so excited, so proud of everyone of course.”

For more information, and to donate, visit ukrainerelief.org.uk/cycling-to-ukraine