A north Suffolk man has embarked on epic 6,000 mile charity bike ride to the heart of Africa.

Julian Claxton, 31, from Oulton, near Lowestoft, set off on Saturday from Bury St Edmunds on his trek across a dozen European and African countries in the space of 70 days in aid of Sport for Rwanda.

The charity is hoping to raise �80,000 to buy sports and education equipment for 140 schools in the country, which is still recovering from a brutal civil war in the 1990s.

Mr Claxton, a member of the Great Yarmouth Cycling Club, is being joined on his fund-raising bike ride by fellow cyclists Peter White, of Great Whelnentham, near Bury, and Peter Goodwin, from Colchester, and support rider Neil Dykes, from Tostock, near Bury.

The group hope to raise �10,000 towards the charity's total and aim to arrive at Rwanda's capital, Kigali, in time to meet the Rwandan Olympic team, which will be based in Bury before the Olympic Games.

To make a donation in support of Mr Claxton's Rwandan bike ride visit www.justgiving.com/cycletorwanda