A father is riding over 200 miles on his daughter’s pink bicycle to raise awareness of the brain tumour which took her life.

Peter Williams left from Bristol Children’s Hospital on Friday with the aim of cycling 211 miles to Land’s End in memory of seven-year-old Ellie, who died three years ago.

Mr Williams, from Penzance, wants to highlight the lack of funding into the research of brain tumours, which are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40.

Ellie died six months after being diagnosed with an incurable, highly aggressive Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2015.

Her parents had noticed her eye was looking a little strange during a family trip to London and kept turning inwards, so took her to Moorfields Eye Hospital.

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They referred her to Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge where Doctors diagnosed her tumour and immediately sent her to Bristol Children’s Hospital.

She passed away in her parents’ arms at Little Harbour children’s hospice in Cornwall on April 4 2015.

Only 40 children across the country are diagnosed with it every year.

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.’

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“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!” He chose to do this because of his daughter’s love of cycling.

He 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.’

Just two days into the journey he has raised more than £23,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity, way surpassing his target of £10,000.

But the effort is no mean feat, the journey on the tiny bike is expected to take a week to complete, and he hopes to reach Land’s End by September 28.

Peter 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.’

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