AN OTLEY teenager and her father will set off on a three-country European fundraising challenge next week.

Sophie English, 16, and her dad, Jeff, will begin their 200-mile adventure in Vienna on Monday.

They will then follow the River Danube as they travel through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, where they aim to finish in Budapest on July 9.

The ride will be in aid of Cancer Research UK, and the £2,233 pledged in sponsorship so far has already smashed the pair's £500 target.

The charity is one close to their hearts, as Jeff was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer last summer.

He said: "It was a major shock as I'm a very fit, active 55-year-old, always out on my bike, swimming at Chippendale Pool or running round Fewston and Swinsty Reservoirs, and have never smoked.

"I had six months of intensive chemotherapy treatment in the autumn/winter, which has shrunk the tumours right down, but they are still there and will come back again at some point.

"So far, I've not been affected by the disease at all and have continued to enjoy all my usual cycling, swimming and running, and will be doing a number of Otley Walking Festival walks this week.

"We picked the Danube for this ride because we'd heard about the EuroVelo6 Rivers Route from the Loire, in France, and along the Danube to the Black Sea – a total of 2,300 miles.

"We're just doing 200 miles of this incredible cycle route. Hopefully, it should be one of the most picturesque sections, with dedicated cycle tracks at the side of the river."

Prince Henry's Grammar School student, Sophie, has won multiple awards with Otley Cycle Club, but has not had the chance to do much training for the trip due to her GCSE exams.

Jeff, meanwhile, who gave up his senior manager post with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Metro) earlier this year, has been preparing by riding to Burnsall, Grassington and Malham.

Donations can be made via justgiving.com/Jeff-English or by texting JENG75 £5, for example, to 70070.

Jeff's former colleagues at the authority also held a bake sale this week to raise money for the cause.