A TIBETAN student who journeyed for 1,000 miles to reach his dream school has been saying a huge thank-you to the North Yorkshire couple who sponsored his education.

Dawa Dsering, 20, set off from his home in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa at the age of 12 with the aim of reaching the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala, India.

He said he wanted to be able to learn about Tibetan culture and traditions, which the Chinese school system of Tibet does not allow.

His three-and-a-half month solo journey began by bus, but when his money ran out, he had to walk for 400 miles through the Himalayas, passing close to Mount Everest, before reaching Kathmandu, in Nepal.

From there, he travelled by bus to Delhi and then on to reach the Tibetan Children's Village.

He is now studying computer science in Delhi.

Brenda and Jeffery Farr, from Osmotherley, sponsored Dawa throughout his time at the children's village and he has been visiting them for the past month.

Dawa said: "I just want to say thank you to them. They are like my Godparents and have done so much for me over the years. Eventually, I hope to go back to the children's village and teach there for free for two or three years."

The children's village is attended by Tibetan children living in India, most of whom have family and friends in the country.

Mrs Farr said: "Dawa was the only one in the children's village who had absolutely no one in India. He did this all by himself. We felt that there was no better way to round off our support for him than for him to visit us."