A CUMBRIAN wildlife enthusiast has committed to raising £3,500 for charity with a '50 shades of green' cycling challenge in 2024.

Rhiannon Ridgewell is a volunteer for the Cumbria Wildlife Trust at the wildflower nursery at Gosling Sike, Houghton, and has been involved with nature conservation and protection since 1974, when she joined the British Trust of Conversation Volunteers aged 16.

2024 will mark five decades of conservation for Rhiannon and her charity challenge, which will see her cycle 3,500 kilometres - one kilometre for every plant species in the UK - is in her words the perfect way to mark the milestone.

She said: "I wanted to mark this anniversary with something special.

"I am really excited about it, I think it is a good idea and the name might appeal to people... I quite like the 50 Shades of Green, I think it is quite nice!"

Rhiannon, who is also a museum assistant at Carlisle's Tullie House, is fundraising through a JustGiving page, with all the money raised going to Cumbria Wildlife Trust which aims to 'put wildlife back into our land and seascapes to make Cumbria a wilder county with more space for nature.'

The '50 Shades of Green' cycling challenge will take place throughout the year, with Rhiannon aiming to cycle six or seven kilometres a day and ahead of the new year has already raised £100 of her £3,500 goal.

Speaking about what inspired the challenge, Rhiannon cited the need for something positive to distract her from her 'moping'.

She said: "I have been moping about an awful lot recently and I am still moping about and filled with despair and hopelessness and total frustration with how nothing is being done about the state of the world and the planet.

"I thought I needed something positive to focus on.

"This is doing something positive and I am actually quite fired up about it and looking forward to it!"

To donate go to justgiving.com/page/rhiannon-ridgewell-50shadesofgreen.