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

Michael Eldridge, from Uley, is aiming to raise £5,000 from the trek to donate to the hospital which cared for his son after the accident.

Rednock School student Louis, 14, died in May last year following the 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 give something back.

“Too often the NHS gets a bit of a bad rap,” he said. “But the care and dignity Louis was given by the nurses and all the staff at the hospital was wonderful.

“We [Michael and Louis’ mum Kate] knew that if Louis had survived then his injuries would have been life-changing and he would have needed substantial care.

“While we were there we saw not just what they were doing for Louis but for other people who had survived similar injuries.”

Following Louis’ death, his family received several calls from nurses at the hospital and Mr Eldridge described this support as “invaluable”.

“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.

“For me the mountains are really therapeutic, I used to go skiing with Louis and they are always a place of reflection which is why I thought this trek would be a good way to give back as well as being a very difficult challenge.”

Training for the Everest climb has consisted of regular trips to The Pulse gym in Dursley and he has recently returned from a practice hike in the Lake District.

He will be flying out to the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, on Wednesday before flying on to a regional airport before starting the trek.

Booked through Wotton-under-Edge trekking holiday firm Mountain Kingdoms, the climb will be carried out by a team of 12 people and is expected to take 16 days to complete.

He is hoping to raise £5,000 to donate to the hospital upon his return and has already had more than half of the sum donated.

To donate, visit bit.ly/2i30apn