THE dad of a teenager who died after colliding with a car while riding his bicycle near Berkeley has completed a 16-day hike to Everest base camp in his memory.

Michael Eldridge, from Uley, arranged to complete the challenge in order to raise £5,000 to donate to the hospital which cared for his son after the accident.

Rednock School student Louis, 14, died in May 2016 following a collision near a railway bridge in Wanswell.

He was taken to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in a critical condition and put on life support in its brain injuries unit but died the following day.

It was this experience of his son being cared for at the hospital which left Mr Eldridge wanting to raise money for the hospital.

“Louis’s mum Kate and I wanted to give something back to the hospital that cared for Louis,” he said. “The care and dignity Louis was given by the nurses and all the staff at the hospital was wonderful.”

Following Louis’ death, Mike, Louis’ mum Kate and their families decided that they wanted to ensure that other families would be able to receive the same invaluable support as they did.

“It was a very emotional time for all of us but all of the nurses at the hospital were really understanding and helpful to all of us,” he added.

Training for the Everest climb consisted of regular trips to The Pulse gym in Dursley as well as practice hikes in the Lake District.

However Michael said that the climb proved really tough, and he found that thinking of Louis helped him to conquer the challenge.

“As we climbed in altitude it became really tough,” he said.

“I found it hard to breathe which made sleeping difficult too.”

“But that’s when the strength and determination really kicked in.

“I didn’t want to let anyone down, I was determined to finish for my beautiful, precious Louis.”

Although the family had hoped to raise £5,000 for the charity they surpassed their target by thousands, finally handing over a cheque for £7,370 to The Grand Appeal Bristol Children’s Charity.