TWO fell runners from Oakworth are tackling a coast-to-coast tandem bike ride – dressed as a panto pony!

Jonathan Binney and Lee Bilbrough are taking on the challenge to raise money for the Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice, Manorlands.

The duo aims to ride 167 miles from Blackpool to Scarborough over two days, on July 20 and 21.

As well as raising funds, it's also hoped the effort – labelled the Pier-2-Pier by Panto Pony Challenge – will see the pair set a new world record for the fastest 100 miles ridden by a pantomime horse on a tandem.

If verified, the achievement could secure them a place in the 2025 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

Jonathan and Lee are already a familiar sight at various events – such as the Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup and Oxenhope Straw Race – in the costume, but this is their biggest endeavour to date.

The gruelling challenge will begin with the back wheel of their tandem in the sea at Blackpool, and end with their front wheel in the water on Scarborough front.

Jonathan says: "We might have to swap seats occasionally along the route, as only the guy at the front can see where we are going, but Lee and I are determined to ride all the way.

"Our steed is ‘trusty rather than rusty’, but what better way to start and end the challenge than with a dip of hooves in both the Irish and the North Sea."

Lee says: "Jonathan and I started our pantomime horse journey competing in the now-famous Mascot Gold Cup at Wetherby racecourse.

"Our appearances as panto pony in various fell races, Oxenhope Straw Race, galas and other local events have grown in pedigree, but this challenge is going to be the Grand National of them all!

"Manorlands hospice is a cause that's close to our hearts and the hearts of many people in the Worth Valley and beyond, and we hope to raise as much as possible."

They have set up an online fundraising page, at justgiving.com/page/pantopony, with a target of raising £10,000.

Manorlands supports patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families at the hospice and in the community, across an area covering Craven, Airedale and Wharfedale, plus parts of Bradford.

All services are free to patients and loved ones, but it costs over £10,000 a day to keep the hospice open.