FAMILY and friends of a Worcestershire student who was killed while backpacking in New Zealand have raised £20,000 by cycling from Land’s End to John O’ Groats.

Emily Jordan drowned while riverboarding in the Kawarau river, near Queenstown, in April last year.

The 21-year-old former Alice Ottley School pupil was travelling with her boyfriend after graduating from Swansea University with a first class law degree. Weeks after Miss Jordan’s death her family set up the Emily Jordan Foundation, which aims to help adults with learning difficulties. Father Chris Jordan, boyfriend Jonny Armour and brother Alex Jordan completed the 960-mile trip in 14 days and were joined at various points along the way by more than 20 other cyclists. Paul Gray joined them halfway.

Chris Jordan was knocked off his bike near Bristol in the early part of the trip but battled through the pain barrier to make it to John O’ Groats.

Mr Jordan, of Trimpley, near Bewdley, only realised he had broken his collar bone when he went for a check up last week. He said: “One minute I was riding my bike and the next I was bouncing down the A38 on my head. My helmet definitely did its job and proved that they do work. A car just swerved in front of me, cut me up and pushed me into the curb.

“Apart from that, the most difficult parts of the journey were the hills in Scotland some of them were very steep. But we made it there in one piece and it was lots of fun.”

The past year has already seen supporters raise £42,000 for the foundation, which hopes to set up a centre where adults with learning difficulties can grow their own produce and try recycling and engineering schemes. For more details, visit theemi lyjordanfoundation.org.uk.