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Dad Is Cycling 200 Miles On Late Daughter's Little Pink Bike For Charity

Dad Is Cycling 200 Miles On Late Daughter's Little Pink Bike For Charity

Peter Williams is completing the bike ride after his daughter died from a brain tumour in 2015

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

A dad is riding 200 miles for charity - on the tiny bike which was his late daughter's last Christmas present before she died from a brain tumour.

Peter Williams, who is 6ft tall, has set off on his week-long challenge in memory of Ellie who died in 2015.

Peter, 46, is raising money for the Brain Tumour Charity by riding 211 miles from the hospital in Bristol that treated Ellie, to Land's End in Cornwall.

SWNS

He initially hoped to raise £10,000 ($13,000) but the JustGiving page is currently at over £23,000 ($30,000) after just three days.

Peter said: "She loved cycling and learned to ride a bike without stabilisers when she was just three. I'll never forget how happy and proud she looked of herself - nearly as proud as I was!

"Ellie was quite poorly when she got the bike for Christmas but she was blown away and couldn't wait to take it out. I've got vivid memories of her riding over the bridge near our home on it."

SWNS

Ellie was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in October 2014 after her parents noticed her right eye had been looking 'a bit strange'.

"It sometimes looked boss-eyed and pointed inwards a little," Peter explained.

"At first, we put it down to her just being silly and playing around like kids do - she was often pulling funny faces. The tumour was inoperable because it was in her brain stem.

"Her inturned eye had been caused by her tumour, so she hadn't been messing around pulling funny faces at all. Our world was turned upside down."

SWNS

Doctors told them that Ellie had six to 12 months to live and she underwent radiotherapy for six weeks.

But she died six months later on April 4 2015 in her parent's arms at Little Harbour children's hospice in St Austell, Cornwall.

The idea for Peter's sponsored ride was sparked when he was pottering about in his shed one afternoon and saw Ellie's pink bike.

"It was a light bulb moment," he said. "Ellie would have thought I was a bit bonkers doing it. As well as the distance, it will be physically challenging as the bike is designed for a seven-year-old and I'm 6ft.

"I'm going to be standing up and riding it as much as I can. I don't want to destroy my knees and my back doing this because I want them to last a few more years yet and maybe do another challenge in the future."

"I haven't modified the bike at all but, after some practice rides, I was tempted to buy a bigger saddle as it really is tiny and very hard on my bum!"

Peter, who lives with partner Kaz, 44, and son Joe, 13, set off from the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children on Friday.

He added: "More research into brain tumours is vital and if I can help save just one family from our heartache, then it's worth it. Ellie would laugh at me riding her bike - and she'll inspire me every push of the pedals."

You can donate to his Just Giving page here, and for more information on the Brain Tumour Charity, head to the website.

Good luck, Peter, your motivation is admirable.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: cornwall, Inspirational, Charity, Bristol, Community, Health