PUNCTURES, pouring rain and even a wheel falling off were not enough to stop three women from helping a school in Malawi.

Harriet Woodward, Hannah McVicar and Anique Burke demonstrated immense pedal power, cycling from Birmingham to Edinburgh in a week.

The trio had all visited the country, in southern Africa, and got on their bikes to help Jacaranda Primary and Secondary School.

Anique, 20, from Dunbar, said: “We are definitely not keen cyclists.

“I had not cycled since I had a paper round when I was 13.

“We did about 60 miles a day but sometimes we did more and sometimes less.

“On the first day, we had six punctures but it was better after that.

“We were camping most nights and we took all the stuff with us.

“We would set off at 8am and some nights we would be finished by 4pm if we had a good day and others it was 8pm or 9pm.”

Each of the cycling fundraisers was donated a bike for the journey.

The journey was supposed to take Anique, Harriet, of Birmingham, and Hannah, of Roslin, six days.

However, the loss of a wheel just outside Berwick-upon-Tweed meant an extra day, with the trio reaching the finish line of Scotland’s Capital on July 29.

Anique, who also volunteered for the NHS at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in the Covid-19 ward, spent 12 months in Malawi after leaving Dunbar Grammar School in August 2018.

During her time in the country, she worked alongside youngsters at Yamikani House orphanage.

She told the Courier that schools in Malawi were “completely different” from those in Scotland.

Leaving school without English would make it very difficult for anyone to find a job.

According to the fundraising page set up ahead of the cycle: “Jacaranda is an incredible school that gives many great opportunities to children in the community and supports the children’s dreams.

“However, due to Covid-19 and the loss of jobs, many families in Malawi are struggling to feed themselves and the children are unable to attend school.”

It has been a busy summer for Anique, who worked alongside her mum, fashion designer Jacqui Burke, to help raise money for the good cause.

Anique said: “When I came home I started to make masks with my mum at the fashion school.

“We raised just under £2,000 through making masks and asking for donations.

“We made over 500 masks and gave them to the foodbank as well.”

The masks were made from the fabric she used to carry the babies and young children from the orphanage on her back while in Malawi.

It was after the mask-making exploits that Anique was asked if she would take part in the 385-mile cycle.

The medicine student at the University of Edinburgh said Malawi had made a sizeable impact on her life.

She said: “I don’t know if fun is the right word but it was a very memorable experience for all three of us.”

To support the good cause, go to gofundme.com/f/cycle-from-england-to-scotland