A RETIRED couple will start a marathon charity road trip from the North-East to central Asia this morning.

Garry and Joan York will travel from Darlington to Kyrgyzstan - which borders Kazakhstan, China, Uzbekistan and Tajikstan - in a converted Mazda 626 in aid of Save the Children, setting off at 4am today.

It is a journey of thousands of miles - but the couple hope it will raise thousands of pounds for the charity.

The pair, both former schoolteachers, will travel in a car which is 13 years old and has more than 130,000 miles on the clock.

"The idea is that you buy a vehicle worth £100 or less and do it up, and drive it to Biskek. This is the first year that it's been done," said Mr York, 62.

The vehicle will be donated to the charity, and the couple will fly back to the UK.

The car has been named Old and Peculier after Mr York's favourite Theakston's beer.

"A lot of people don't know that it's named after the tipple, so they think we just are old and peculiar," said Mr York. "Perhaps they are right!"

Mr York, who used to teach in Newton Aycliffe and has lived in Darlington, Nigeria and El Salvador, thanked companies for their support.

The journey is due to take three weeks and three days.