Dad to honour late son with gruelling bike ride

Simon Lambert said he and his son Archie, five, loved to go on bike rides together

A bereaved father said he would cycle from Scotland to Southend-on-Sea to honour his late son.

Simon Lambert's five-year-old boy Archie died in January after being treated for a brain tumour for almost two years.

Mr Lambert said his planned 480-mile (772km) route was one of the last trips the family took with Archie.

The dad, from Westcliff, said he would bring a toy duck that Archie used to have resting on his handlebars along for the ride.

The 51-year-old plans to start on 15 April in Edinburgh before riding to the Essex seaside.

'Humbled'

Archie was cared for at children's hospice Little Havens in Thundersley at the end of his life.

"I was humbled by how much people helped and how Archie just carried on without any self-pity," Mr Lambert said.

"I want to return this in some way by riding my bike, which Archie loved to go out and about on."

The father, who has already raised £3,000 for several charities he wanted to thank, said he wanted to hit the £10,000 mark.