A BRAVE traveller who set off to cycle round the world for charity last December is due home in time for Christmas.

Hannah Bellasis, 30, from Taunton, decided to ride across the world on a bike with her friend Emese to raise money for St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice after her dad, Richard, died peacefully there in 2007.

Setting off on December 1, 2014, the planned route entailed cycling through New Zealand, Thailand, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Baku ferry to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary, before continuing on to the UK and ending up in Taunton in time for Christmas 2015 via an undecided route.

Hannah’s mum, Judy, is anticipating her return and can’t wait to see her daughter again.

“It’s been a long year and I’m really excited to have Hannah back for Christmas,” she said.

“She’s been having a fantastic time and we’re able to Skype most weeks which is the best thing since sliced bread.

“So far on her Just Giving page she’s raised nearly £3,500.”

Hannah was born in Taunton but lived in Ilminster until she was eight, before the family returned to Taunton.

She was a pupil at Queen’s College and went on to study at Liverpool University, where her dad passed away during her final year.

Hannah went on to take a gap year where she travelled to South America, India and China and it was here that Judy said her daughter caught the travelling bug.

She took a CELTA course to qualify to teach English as a second language, and met Emese, from Hungary, who she is currently cycling round the world with.

Before the pair set off, Hannah been living and working in Vietnam for four years.

Hannah has been blogging her experiences at https://twohungariansandabritgoforabikeride.

wordpress.com/ To sponsor Hannah, visit https://www.justgiving.com/ ON HER BIKE: Hannah Be Hannah-Bellasis