A STUDENT whose family were caught up in the New Zealand earthquake is cycling from London to Istanbul to raise money for the quake’s victims.

Luke Parry, 19, is more than halfway through a challenge to cycle more than 2,200 miles across 13 different countries.

The engineering student from Eastrington, near Howden, has an aunt, cousins and other relatives who live in Christchurch.

Although Luke’s family were desperately concerned about their relatives, they were unharmed in the quake which claimed more than 180 lives.

Luke, who briefly moved from Green Hammerton with his family as a child to live in New Zealand, was so shocked by the devastation he became determined to raise funds for the British Red Cross Earthquake Appeal.

Luke said: “I’m doing it all on my own – no-one else was mad enough to come with me.

“It’s a great way to engage with the scenery, culture, and its people without boundaries. Europe is our backyard and is so diverse it deserves to be discovered this way.”

The Warwick University student is currently in Croatia, having travelled through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Next, he plans to cycle through Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Greece before reaching Turkey. He aims to return home from the self-funded trip by April 28.

Susan, Luke’s mum, said: “He is enjoying it, but he said he expects the next leg of the journey to be really gruelling.

“It’s typical of him to do something like this. If he gets his mind set on something he does it to the full.

“I’m very proud of him, but I’m also looking forward to him coming home.”

Luke is keeping an online blog to share his experiences.

To read the blog or to sponsor Luke, who has so far raised around £900, visit london2istanbul.com