An epic cycle ride in aid of the disaster relief charity ShelterBox arrives in Cranbrook on Thursday, August 26._

British couple Huw and Carolyn Thomas are riding 10,000 miles around the world on a tandem to spread the word about the charity, which delivers emergency help to families whose homes have been destroyed by floods, earthquakes and other disasters.

The two riders began their epic journey from Vancouver on August 8 and are now on their way to Florida - via Cranbrook and the Canadian Rockies.

Averaging 50 miles a day in the saddle, the couple are stopping in towns along their way by giving talks to schools, clubs and other community organisations about their trip and ShelterBox's vital work.

"We've had a great send off from Vancouver and the people we've met along the way have more than made up for the aching muscles and long days on the bike," said Huw Thomas, 44. "We're looking forward to reaching Florida in time for Christmas but this is just the first part of our trip. Next, we're going to ride the length of New Zealand and from Brisbane to Melbourne in Australia. Then it's back home for the European leg of our trip."

"We reckon it will be the end of July 2011 when we finally get to ShelterBox's UK headquarters and finish our ride," said Carolyn Thomas. "By then we hope to have spoken to many thousands of people about ShelterBox and spread the word about the fantastic work this charity does to help victims of disaster all over the world."