A Turkish born human rights campaigner cycled the length of the UK in solidarity with his country's people.

Ziya Kocabiyik cycled 969 miles in nine days from Land's End to John O'Groats, completing the mammoth pedal watched live on the internet by friends, family, and fellow Amnesty members.

The Chingford resident averaged more than 100 miles and seven to eight hours on the road each day.

He aims to raise £25,000 for Amnesty International's work in Turkey and to increase awareness of the human rights situation in the country.

Following a military coup attempt in July 2016, the government started a crackdown on any opposition, imprisoning journalists and human rights defenders and sacking 120,000 public sector workers, many of whom were arrested.

Mr Kocabiyik said: “Some of my very close friends from childhood and family relatives also lost their jobs and were imprisoned..

“My younger brother who was a Maths teacher lost his job and was on the run for the last 17 months.

"Recently under a new name and identity he started working as a kitchen porter.

"Due to my political views I am unable to visit my beloved country where I was born and have all my childhood memories”.

Since July 2016 many families fled Turkey to seek refuge in the UK, and Mr Kocabiyik has opened his doors to some of them.

He added: “I wanted to be the voice of those affected by these atrocities.

"There are more than 668 children and 17,000 women in Turkish prisons. I cycled for those children across Britain to give them freedom in my mind.

"When I was cycling they were always in my mind and I remembered their situations.

"I have felt their pain in my chest deeply. That same pain was the fuel of my legs to pedal 969 miles in nine days.”

An emotional moment on Mr Zocabiyik's trip came when he was joined by Turkish exiles who shared their personal experiences.

He said: “People showed real solidarity to those affected and comforted them by attentively listening their stories.

"I found that many people were not aware of the human rights violations happening around the world, and particularly in Turkey. I will be visiting schools to meet students, teachers and parents to share my experience.

"Friends are working on a short YouTube film which I hope to attract more views and support for Amnesty. I am also planning to write a small book to sell for donations, and will continue to post updates for my new followers on Twitter."

Donations are building up now that the ride is complete, arriving from the UK and as far afield as Chad.

Go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Cycling969MilesforTurkey to donate.