A two-time cancer survivor is cycling more than 9,000 miles to China to raise money for the hospital that treated him.

Tommy Scargill, 22, from Warlingham, hopes to give something back to the Royal Marsden after his two rounds of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

He was first diagnosed aged four. After being in remission for a number of years, he suffered a relapse when he was 17.

He said: "I've battled cancer twice and still suffer the side-effects of treatment but it's a small price to pay for my current good health. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the hospital.

"The Royal Marsden was superb in the way they helped me and my family get through my diagnosis and treatment."

Mr Scargill, an audio engineering and music production graduate, has already raised £1,800 for the hospital’s charity.

On October 25, he will set out on his epic journey that will cover 15 countries - England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Kazakhstan - before reaching China in 12 months time.

The trip was partly inspired by the documentary Long Way Round, which recounts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's journey on motorbikes from London to New York.

Mr Scargill will be travelling alone with a daily budget of £3, relying on the kindness of strangers to, and will be carrying only a hammock, tarpaulin, a gas stove, a sleeping bag and a few personal items in his rucksack.

He said: "I'm both excited and scared. My family think I’m crazy and they're worried about me, but I want to do something memorable and inspiring for the hospital that saved my life and to show that, whatever you set your heart to, you can achieve."

Follow the journey on Mr Scargill's blog. Donations can be made at justgiving.com/TheHopefulVagabondC2C4C