An Okehampton man will cycle to the summit of Mount Snowdon this July to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in memory of his father.

Tony Williams will undertake a 447km cycle across Wales, which includes a climb to the summit of Mount Snowdon and Cadair Idris, riding a 24-inch children’s mountain bike, to fundraise for the UK’s leading cancer charity and the British Heart Foundation.

He hopes to complete the challenge in memory of his dad, who passed away from bowel cancer three years ago, and finish a journey to the top of Snowdon, which he started with his father when he was a child.

Tony said: “Snowdon was a mountain I started a walk with dad when I was about nine years old; we never got to the top due to poor weather and I want to finish it for him, hence the reason for using a bike that's suitable for a nine-year-old.

“Dad lived and breathed Dartmoor; it was his special place. He was such an inspiration to me; he took every opportunity to get my brother, sister, mum and me out on Dartmoor and the Devon countryside, as children, no matter the weather. He really ingrained in me a love and respect for the outdoors, nature and wildlife, showing us some amazing places and mini-adventures along the way. It was his love for the hills that really got me; he took his camera everywhere, snapping wherever he went and taking us along. Mum and Dad continued to walk on the moors until about six months before he passed away.”

Some of the money will also go to the British Heart Foundation, the UK’s biggest funder of research into cardiovascular disease, a cause Tony champions as he suffers from hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, and his mum experienced a minor heart attack two years ago.

Tony also hopes that his fundraiser will encourage people to get any health concerns checked early, so they can receive treatment for life-threatening conditions in time. Tony and his mum have previously been successfully treated for skin cancer and uterine cancer respectively, but sadly, his dad’s illness was caught too late.

He said: “Dad was diagnosed with bowel cancer ten days before he passed away; it was a ‘hidden’ cancer. He was helping my brother and me with cutting their hedge a month before he was admitted to hospital, and just felt tired and exhausted after, so we managed to persuade him to go and get checked out by his GP. After being referred to the hospital, they operated on him on arrival.

“The surgeon was blown away by his strength of mind and will to not give in; she said that the amount of cancer they found wasn't good. They were talking about offering him chemotherapy after the operation, due to how strong he was for his age. Something I'll never forget and is a major driving force for me taking on this challenge.”