TWO Gwent men who lost their siblings to cancer are cycling from Chepstow to Penzance to raise cash for the hospice that helped their families.

Carl Marshall, 22, and Marc Jenkins, 21, set off on their 284-mile challenge with seven friends on Wednesday.

They will be riding in memory of Mr Marshall’s sister Laura Marshall Reid, and Mr Jenkins’ brother Brian Brinkley, as well as raising cash for St David’s Foundation Hospice Care.

Mr Marshall, from Rogiet, lost his sister Laura to breast cancer earlier this year when she was just 26.

The mother-of-two was diagnosed in July 2009 after finding a lump in her left breast.

Despite treatment, the cancer spread, and Mrs Marshall Reid died on January 21.

The Argus reported how the former Wilkinson’s warehouse worker had stayed positive throughout her illness, completing a wishlist of things she wanted to do.

This included marrying her fiancee Gareth, and making a memory box for her young sons Liam, six, and Jack, three.

Mr Jenkins’ brother Brian Brinkley, 34, died from a brain tumour earlier this year after a five-year battle with cancer.

Father-of-two Mr Brinkley, from Bulwark in Chepstow, was diagnosed in July 2005 after he started suffering from seizures.

He died on April 11.

Both Mrs Marshall Reid and Mr Brinkley were cared for by St David’s Foundation Hospice Care, and their families said they wanted to be able to give something back.

Mrs Marshall Reid’s father Gary, who is accompanying the cyclists with his van, said: “They become an extension of your family, and Carl and Marc wanted to do something to show that.”

The riders expect to finish their challenge tomorrow.