A FAMILY in Stroud are taking an old banger on a 2,500-mile road trip for cancer research.

Brothers Dean Ives, Paul Cooke and Wayne Cooke, and their brother-in-law Richard Niblett have been renovating an old Saab to drive from Birmingham to Benidorm next month.

The brothers lost their dad Robert Rigglesford, and Dean his mother-in-law, Lorna Dalton, to cancer.

Robert was a firefighter for the Red Arrows in Kemble, so the family have given the car, donated to them for the challenge, a lick of red paint in his memory, and will be dressed up as a Red Arrows flight team.

“This is our final good bye to Dad," said Dean.

"He would have absolutely loved it. He was into his cars."

As well as collecting donations for Cancer Research UK, the family would also like to raise awareness of the importance of going for a health check if you suspect something is wrong.

“We’d also like to raise awareness about the fact that cancer is all around us and you can lose a loved one so easily, so it’s important to appreciate your loved ones,” said Dean.

They will be setting off on May 12 and hope to be in Benidorm by May 17.

“We’re starting in Birmingham, going down to Dover to get to France,” said Paul.

“We’ll pass through Germany and Switzerland, where we’ll attempt the Stelvio Pass, then drop into Italy and Monaco, where we will do the F1 circuit, before driving through into Barcelona and then onto Benidorm.”

Once in Benidorm, the car will be scrapped.

But before its sets off on its final journey, the old Saab will be making a special appearance at a family fun day event at Stroud Cricket Club on Easter Sunday, also in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Taking place from 12pm onwards, activities are set to include an Easter hunt, music, a bouncy castle, face painting, a barbecue, raffles, tombola, craft tables and more.

To donate to the family's Cancer Research appeal visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/Birmingham-Benidorm-Chalenge2019

Photos by Simon Pizzey.