A man who terrified of hearses and caskets was towed to his funeral in a coffin with a window by his children and wife on bikes.
Donna Thorpe had a coffin specially made, with a Perspex window in the lid, so that her husband Gordon wouldn't be stuck inside a 'claustrophobic' casket on his way to the church.
Gordon, 49, who died of pancreatic cancer, had always had a fear of hearses, so when it came to planning his funeral Donna knew she wouldn't be booking one.
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Instead, Gordon's body was taken on a 'final bike ride' with Donna, their three young daughters and Donna's brother-in-law.
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Donna said: "Gordon never liked the idea of funerals and never liked discussing it. He didn't like the idea of being in a box - it frightened him. He didn't even like following funeral hearses so when it came to planning his funeral I wanted to make sure it would be something he would like.
"Gordon had a Perspex coffin lid so he could see the blue sky, sunshine and birds as we cycled through the countryside. It also meant we were able to talk to him as we rode along."
The five-seated bike-hearse was also a tribute to the family bike rides they would enjoy on a Sunday.
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Donna continued: "Gordon loved nothing more than going out on family bike rides - I've fond memories of that. We would take our own bikes, strap them to the car and take them everywhere, including holidays to France and Switzerland.
"We loved the freedom of it. We would cycle along and stop off at little shops along the way - it was a very simplistic way of life. As a child he used to do a lot of BMX biking too.
"I could never imagine taking my children to their daddy's funeral. Yes there were a lot of sad moments, though not like the day he passed, it was a celebration of his life.
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"When we cycled together it was to create family memories on my daughters' last ride with daddy while all of Gordon's BMX pals rode behind us. It was surreal as everyone was smiling and clapping, it ended up being a magical day."
Other mourners travelled to the church on their bikes, with pals of Gordon holding his empty bike between them.
Since the funeral last month, Donna has decided to start her own bicycle-hearse business for other people who want to give a loved-one a special send-off.
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She said "On the back of the day I've launched my new little venture GT Bicycle Hearses and decided to rent the hearse out and have another one being made now.
"It isn't just me seeing an opportunity to make some money but it allows people to personalise their loved ones' funerals and let them do something memorable.
"I have three young children at home and I need to carry on providing for us like Gordon did. Gordon was a businessman and he used to say 'if you don't try you will never know'.
"He would be amazed at what I'm doing, he would be saying 'good work baby, well done' - he would be proud."
Featured Image Credit: CatersTopics: Cancer