Cyclist Mark Beaumont supports Dambusters Ride

Cyclist, broadcaster and author Mark Beaumont, who spent part of his childhood living in Kintyre, has given his support to the Dambusters Ride.

The 60- and 100-mile cycling event is raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF's leading welfare charity.

It consists of two elements: a virtual ride on the weekend of May 7-8, and a physical 'heritage ride' taking place in Lincolnshire on Saturday May 14. The event pays tribute to the Dambusters, members of the RAF's 617 Squadron who were assembled to bomb three dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley on the night of May 16-17, 1943.

It was a risky raid, dropping the revolutionary bouncing bomb at low level, and the cost was high.

Of 133 crew who left, only 53 returned.

Visit rafbf.org/ride for more information or to register for the Dambusters Ride.