� A Collier Row student will be hitch-hiking 900 miles from London to Croatia to raise money for charity.

Marie Haynes, 22, is relying on helpful travellers along the way to be able to complete the challenge during her Easter break.

Marie, who studies psychology at Goldsmiths University, London, will be raising money for Link Community Development.

The charity works with schools, communities and governments in developing countries to remove obstacles to provide quality education.

But she must raise �500 initially to take part.

Marie, of Walton Road, will be linked with people by the charity. Each team completing the challenge will be made up of two or three people and must include a male for safety.

Marie said: “My friends and family are concerned about me doing it, but I’m comforted that there’s enough nice people in the world to do this.

“I’ll be travelling with one or two people I barely know for 900 miles, hopping in and out of strangers’ cars, sometimes maybe even sleeping rough. All I can say is I hope they like car games.”

She added: “I wanted to do something different and it’s for a worthy cause. It is the first time the charity is doing the event to Croatia, and I wanted to be part of it.

Suggested route

“We have a suggested route to travel along, but we will be �dependent on the people we are travelling with. But we are �expecting to travel through six countries including France, Switzerland and Slovenia.”

“Please donate to this worthy cause and help me conquer some of my fears. This really is a big challenge for me and any support is greatly appreciated.”

See http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MollyMayMarie.