Staff at Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferries will be throwing themselves behind BBC Children in Need this Thursday and Friday in a bid to raise a substantial sum for the charity and break a world record along the way.

Starting on Thursday evening at 5pm, staff from Red Funnel will be taking part in a 24 hour cycle challenge. Colleagues from across the business will cycle for 30 minutes each, over the 24 hour period, on a stationary bike situated in the Southampton Vehicle Ferry terminal.

Red Funnel's own champion fundraiser will be attempting to break the world record for a 24 hour row, on a rowing machine, in the LTA (using leg, trunk and arms) disability category. Gus McKechnie hopes to exceed the current record of 141,438 metres in the 24 hours (equivalent to nine crossings between Southampton and Cowes), which was set in June 2010. To break the record, Gus will be allowed just five minutes rest in every 60 minutes of rowing.

"If I can stay awake for the entire time, I can do this," Gus said. "I have undertaken a number of endurance challenges for charity in the past so I am confident I can achieve this one, if I can fight off the fatigue." Gus, who has congenital hemiparesis (a form of cerebral palsy) since birth, has run the New York Marathon five times and the London Marathon twice as well as a number of other international events. In individual and team events he has raised over £2.1 million over the last 7 years and introduced over 4,500 young people to rowing through his work in the community.

Red Funnel is hoping to stream Gus's challenge live on to the Red Funnel Facebook page.