People are being urged to get on their bikes to raise funds for a new lifeboat.

Cycle events organised by Cycle Sportives UK raised more than £1,050 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance this year - and organisers have pledged to support Wells RNLI's Shannon Appeal over the next year. The events will include a 100-mile cycle ride, called 'Chase the Rising Sun', which will start at Hunstanton's lifeboat station and finish at the life-saving facility in Southwold.

Peter Dennes, who runs Cycle Sportives UK with business partner Matt Willimott, said: 'We did the first year rasing money for the air ambulance and our target was to raise £1,000 and we topped that.

'The Wells RNLI's Shannon Appeal is another really good cause and they need a lot of money. If we can add a grand or more to the appeal then that will be great.'

The Wells branch of the RNLI began its appeal to raise £250,000 for a new £2m Shannon-class lifeboat in June. After nearly 25 years and more than 140 rescues, Wells' Mersey-class lifeboat Doris M Mann of Ampthill is nearing the end of her service life.

The RNLI will be replacing her with a new state-of-the-art Shannon class lifeboat in 2016 to provide a faster, safer and more effective life-saving service off the Norfolk coast for many years to come.

The target is to raise the sum by the end of next year. More than £51,000 has been raised so far. Wells RNLI coxswain Allen Frary said they were grateful for Cycle Sportives UK's support.

He said: 'We need to raise £250,000 by the end of the year so we are very grateful. It was a pleasure to meet the guys from the cycle events and to know they are helping us with our fundraising.'

Cycle events organised by Cycle Sportives UK this year included the Torq Round Norfolk Epic Challenge which saw cyclists complete 170 miles around the county. Next year's event is set to be 200 miles.

Events in aid of the Shannon Appeal will kick-start this weekend with a 25/50-mile ride from Hellesdon Village Hall, near Norwich, this Sunday.

To read more about the cycle events and to enter, go to www.cyclesportivesuk.co.uk. More events will be announced over the coming weeks.

Are you helping to raise funds for the Shannon Appeal? Email kate.scotter@archant.co.uk