A bereaved father who embarked on a 400-mile cycle ride in memory of his young teenage son has described the experience as “incredible”.

Ian Doe, of Diss, recently completed the West to East challenge to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

The charity cared for his son Callum after he was diagnosed with an aggressive grade four brain tumour on Christmas Eve 2018 at the age of 13.

He would go on to have an operation to remove as much of the tumour as was safely possible, in addition to two rounds of radiotherapy.

He was just 15 years old when he died in August 2020 at EACH’s hospice, The Nook, in Framingham Earl, near Norwich.

Mr Doe, 51, decided he wanted to give something back and so, as part of a group of nine from Dunx Cycles, Lowestoft, he embarked on a four-day journey from St Davids, Wales, to Ness Point, Lowestoft, on May 24.

He said: “It was an incredible experience.

“I’m pleased because I’ve always wanted to do something special for EACH and I’ve found it hard to get truly excited about things since Callum died.

“I’m already thinking about what I can do next because I like having something to focus on.

“I was very pleased to raise so much, especially given my initial target was £500. I would have considered anything more a bonus, so to get four times that amount is amazing.”

Mr Doe and wife Michelle, Callum’s mum, continue to attend fortnightly bereavement counselling sessions at EACH.

It was shortly after the teenager’s diagnosis they, along with their daughter, Callum’s sister, Abi, 19, were offered help from the charity.

Mrs Doe previously took on a fundraising challenge of her own and raised £2,119 after jogging and walking a virtual 874 miles from Land’s End to John O’ Groats.

“Hopefully it helps make a difference,” Mr Doe added. “It’s a way of saying thank you for the care and support we received, as a family.”