Student Andrew Gosling cycled through Bishop Auckland yesterday on his mission to raise money for charity.

The 22-year-old from Sedgefield is on his way from John O'Groats in the far north of Scotland to England's most southerly tip, Land's End.

He started his marathon cycle ride last week and hopes to reach his destination by next Tuesday, with his parents John and Louise providing back-up.

He is raising money for two of his favourite charities, the National Canine Defence League (NCDL) and the Pearl and Dean Medi Cinema, a project that takes films to terminally ill hospital patients.

He works in an Edinburgh cinema to help pay for his university studies in astrophysics.

Andrew said: "We have had two dogs from the NCDL and I wanted to help them. I am a big film fan so the Pearl and Dean project seemed to be a good choice."

Anyone wanting to sponsor Andrew can contact him at 3F1 9 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9NU.