A LUSTON grandad will be remembered this week as his family complete a charity bike ride to raise funds for the Herefordshire hospice that cared for him.

Eleven-year-old twins, Jess and Vikki Heath, will join their mum, Ally, on a 73-mile bike ride through the New Forest, raising money for St Michael's Hospice.

The girls' grandad, Ian Tyson, from Luston, sadly died there aged 73 in January after a battle with cancer.

Mrs Heath said: "When dad was in the hospice, the staff looked after all of us and gave the girls some bears and said they could be used to say goodnight to granddad. "They took the bears away and did a diary so the outside world went in the hospice to granddad. When he died on January 10, the girls said we should do something for the hospice and said about taking the bears on a sponsored bike ride."

The trio will cycle 73 miles, one for each of their grandad's life, along with the bears from the hospice.

"We've called it ’73 years by the bike’ and this is going to be the ending to the diary so it will be put together and include photos of the journey," added Mrs Heath.

Mr Tyson, who lived in Luston, was diagnosed with cancer in April last year and went to St Michael's Hospice for the first time last winter. After returning home for Christmas he went back to the hospice and died there on January 10.

"They were so lovely – he couldn’t have been in a better place," said Mrs Heath. "We stayed there a lot of the time too and they always made sure we were well looked after."

The family, who are from just over the border in Shropshire, will stay at a youth hostel each night of their challenge with the girls' nan, Jill Tyson, who still lives in Luston.

They will cycle around 20 miles a day for four days.

Anyone who would like to donate can visit https://www.justgiving.com/73-years-by-bike/