SUPERHERO Andrew Pike has turned personal tragedy into a spur to help him bring joy to families in Haydon.

The 55-year-old lost his mum Kathy to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease just a month ago.

As he grieved he decided to do something to help others during the pandemic. So he dug out the Spider-Man costume he wore during the Brighter Futures Superhero Run to wear while he went out running.

He said: “I like dressing up as spiderman, it’s good for my mind because it allows me to forget for a short while about my mum being gone and the virus.”

And the 55-year-old has been using his Spidey exercise sessions to make birthday card deliveries to boys and girls on his route.

“Running can be a slog, it’s good for the mind but I don’t really like doing it. But it makes it worth it when I’m dressed as spiderman and people are shouting out their windows and cheering me on.

"I get toots from drivers going past which is amazing and it makes me feel good,” he said.

He lost his mum on April 25. "She had severe COPD and was in and out of hospital a couple of times over the last few months. We did think it was Covid-19 but she tested negative so we can’t blame it on that," he said.

As well as bereavement Andrew has also had to cope with the worry of knowing his daughter Daisy who found herself working on a Covid ward just a few months after finishing university.

“She’s a nurse at Great Western Hospital and she’s been looking after patients suffering from the virus,” Andrew said.

“It has been quite horrific for her but she’s doing a terrific job. But it’s definitely not nice to hear from your own kid, they don’t need to be going through something like this.”

And his partner Rebecca, who works for Public Health Wales, has had to stay at work during lockdown, meaning the couple have been separated for the last three months.

It is another reason why he wanted to go out and make surprise visits to children celebrating their birthday.

He said: “There are people in worst situations and going out gives me a buzz.

“I’ll just wave at people through their windows, get children birthday cards and I’ve just been running around the area.

"Every Sunday I’ll do around 10 to 15 miles and I’ll make visits along the way, it’s been great.”