A 23-year-old is getting his skates on for a 200-mile journey on a very different set of wheels.

For while most would consider making the trip from Nottingham to Kent by train or bus, Stephen Bates is hopping on a skateboard.

He hopes to complete the mighty feat by next Monday - covering a staggering 30 miles a day.

Stephen, from Grove Green, Maidstone, is skateboarding the 200 miles from his university in Nottingham back to his home county, and was due to set off from Market Square today at midday.

He chose to take the unusual mode of transport as a way of raising money for Leukaemia Research.

Stephen was diagnosed with the cancer in 2006 and, after having to take more than a year out of his studies to receive treatment, felt he wanted to do something to raise awareness of the disease.

He said: "My treatment was a year intensive course plus another two years of maintenance, which affects you day to day and you had to go to chemotherapy once a month.

"So anything to reduce that time and make people better quicker I think is definitely a good cause."

He was treated at Maidstone Hospital and will be skating to the hospital when he returns to Kent on the last leg of his journey on August 16.

If you would like to donate please visit Steve's justgiving page.