'The sun and Elliott looked kindly down on us' - Lincolnshire duo's charity ride in memory of son and nephew raises thousands of pounds

LEFT: Elliott Peto, who inspired the fundraiser. RIGHT: Elliott's dad Chris and uncle Gareth Elwick (right), during the ride.

Chris Peto, 40, and Gareth Elwick, 43, completed the 80-mile challenge last Saturday in memory of Chris’ son and Gareth’s nephew, Elliott.

Elliott died in December, aged just five, from rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer of the soft tissue diagnosed in about 55 children in the UK each year.

Chris and Gareth were inspired to hold a cycling event in memory of Elliott as it had been a wish of his to learn to ride his bike, a wish he was sadly unable to fulfil. In further tribute to him, they decided to complete the challenge dressed as Spider-Man, Elliott’s favourite superhero.

The fundraiser began in Chapel St Leonards and finished in Old Hunstanton (via Boston).

The route reflected Elliott’s love of the seaside and how he would often visit the area with his parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins – Chris lives in Berkshire, but grew up in the Boston area and still has family here; Gareth, who, like Chris, went to Boston Grammar School, lives in Sibsey.

At the time of writing, more than £7,400 had been donated to Elliott's Arc, a part of Alice's Arc, which is dedicated to funding research into finding a cure and less harsh treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma.

In a joint statement made a few days after the event, Chris and Gareth said: “Physically we are surprising alright! It was a fantastic and fitting day as the sun, and Elliott looked kindly down on us. The ride was, with, for and all about Elliott. We were supported all along the way by friends, family and colleagues which helped us when those hills got a little higher, the road seemed very long and for them we are extremely grateful.

“Emotionally it's tough now it's all over, however we will look to the next challenge to continue to honour his memory to raise awareness and to take our superhero fight against childhood cancer in memory of Elliott.”

You can donate at https://tinyurl.com/ElliottsArc). The family gave their thanks for the donations – and the support – they have received.