A Worcester man is cycling solo from Romania all the way home to raise money for a rescue dog charity after rehoming a pooch.

Steve Cuthbertson, 57, decided to take on the challenge in aid of the Amicii Dog Rescue - which rehabilitates and rehomes rescue dogs from Romania and the UK.

Steve adopted Stella, a Romanian shepherd cross, two years ago from the charity and since then, he’s done a few fundraisers to raise money to help the dogs.

He recently cycled from Worcester to Immingham and back over two days - a total of 340 miles - and raised £1500 for the charity.

This time Steve’s epic 1700 mile journey from Romania to the UK will see him cross six European countries including Hungary, Austria, Germany, Belgium and Holland.

Steve will then cross into the UK and ride the last leg of his journey to Worcestershire, hoping to get home at the end of September.

He’s camping along the way and hopes that his journey will inspire people to get behind the charity and its work.

“This cycle ride is not just about raising money” Steve said.

“I’m following Stella’s journey when she came to the UK and hope to highlight the plight of dogs in Eastern Europe as well as getting some publicity and support for the charity.

"I’ve done lots of crazy trips on my bike before, but this is probably going to be the most challenging and difficult.

"I’ve got all the right kit and the charity volunteers are all supporting me so hopefully it will all go smoothly.”

Ann Pursey from Amicii Dog Rescue, said: “We are so thankful to Steve for all his support of the charity.

"Dogs are in such need at the moment with rescues all over the world full to bursting and we are no different.

"We help dogs in the UK as well as in Romania and it’s a challenging time for us all.

"As a voluntary charity we are totally dependent on good will and donations to continue our work.

"Steve’s journey will be one of the fundraising highlights of 2023 we have no doubt."

Amicii Dog Rescue is based in Kempsey in Worcestershire. To find out more about their work, visit: www.amiciidogrescue.org.uk

To donate to Steve's cause visit his JustGiving page at: https://justgiving.com/page/stellasjourney