The Butterfield siblings, Jim, Tom and Peggy, will all cycle for charities this spring.

Jim Butterfield plans to clock up 3,300 miles in a race across America, which is due to start on today, while his brother, Tom Butterfield, and sister, Peggy Couper, will team up and cover about 1,000 miles each in the British Isles.

The two ventures are completely separate and came from different motivations.

Jim Butterfield flew to California early to prepare for today's start of his race, but his friend Steve Petty told The Royal Gazette that his effort would be the fulfilment of a dream.

"It was a challenge that he wanted to do before he turned 50 and that happens later this year,'' he said.

"We both do quite a bit of cycling,'' he continued, "and we are friends, so when he told me his plans and asked me if I'd like to come along I said `yes'.'' Work commitments led Mr. Petty to agree to only half of the 3,300 mile journey and said when he realised what they had decided to undertake, he felt it was their responsibility to do a bit more.

"I said we should really make some use of this challenge and raise funds for a charity,'' he said. "Jim agreed and we decided on PALS because they have a tremendous budget and we felt they do a lot of good work.

"PALS reaches anyone from three to 93 and all their services are completely free,'' he added.

The two men have already raised $32,000 and have set a goal of $50,000.

Meanwhile Mrs. Couper and Tom Butterfield are planning to raise $150,000 in their more than 1,000 mile cycle through the British Isles.

The money raised will be used "to ensure the well being of the endowment and education funds of Masterworks,'' said Mr. Butterfield. "Both portfolios are doing very well at the moment.

"The travelling show in the US continues to do well and we will continue with that. Our education programme has really mushroomed from just a weekend class to everything from after school programmes to art camps. It has branched out in directions we did not foresee and it is really great,'' he said.

Most of the sponsorship is being raised through "cold telephone calling'', said Mr. Butterfield, who added that he was meeting with very favourable responses.

Charity cyclists "That I think, is a good indicator that we are on the right track.'' The pair will start their cycling endeavour on May 29 just south of the border between Scotland and England. Taking a route designed by Tom Butterfield, they will travel the back roads of Great Britain to the west coast of Scotland, through Ireland and Wales and finish in Norwich around the middle of June.

Jim Butterfield will leave Irvine, California today with the Bicycle America organisation and arrive in Boston on about May 26. He will be joined by Mr.

Petty at the halfway point in Topeka, Kansas on May 10.