Students at Catcote Specialist Business and Enterprise College, in the town's Catcote Road, have been collecting and restoring second hand bikes to send to impoverished schoolchildren.

They formed a Young Enterprise company called '1 2 Free Bikes', and are working alongside a charity called Jole Rider, that transports the bikes to schools in the continent.

They are then distributed by the foreign teachers to the pupils with the longest journey to school - some of which walk up to 10 miles a day in the searing heat.

But before they can make the overseas journey, the bikes must be taken down to Hullavington air base in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Staff from the school contacted the Mail after realising they were stuck as to how they to get the bikes transported south on the 289-mile journey.

Amanda Metcalf, from the school, said: "After a lot of hard work the bikes are now ready - but the students now face the problem of how to transfer them to Wiltshire.

"Ideally we would like somebody with a van, or maybe they could be put on a lorry heading that way, as a part load."

Youngsters from the school will be travelling down to Wiltshire at a later date to help with the loading of the bikes ahead of the trek to Africa.

The bikes must arrive by November 26, and anyone who could offer transport is asked to contact Barry Currell at the school on (01429) 264036 from 7.30am on Monday.