Dad was a “proud” member of charity bike ride team donning jerseys with son’s name

The team are greeted in Ipswich by Ipswich Mayor Jane Riley Picture: JOHN BURNS (Image: John Burns)

Joshua Tarrant, from Haverhill, was diagnosed with a rare tumour aged eight and battled for a further eight years before losing the fight in April 2012, aged 16.

His dad Sean said he felt “really proud” to ride with mayor of Haverhill Tony Brown and teammates Darren Anderson and Alex Webb all wearing their Joshua Tarrant Trust cycling jerseys.

“I think it just gave the whole event some meaning,” he said.

The 46-mile ride on March 8 took in the “beautiful” Suffolk countryside and the team were greeted by the mayors of Ipswich, Hadleigh and Sudbury along the route.

Mayor of Haverhill Tony Brown at the Hadleigh stop Picture: JOHN BURNS (Image: John Burns)

Mr Brown, who has chosen the Joshua Tarrant Trust to be his mayoral charity of the year, said the ride was a “great success”.

He said: “It was quite a cold day, but all arrived back in Haverhill after 46 miles without any hiccups.

“I would like to say a big thank you to the mayors of Ipswich, Hadleigh and Sudbury for their great support and for providing refreshments on the way.

“Councillor John Burns and Denise Tarrant [Joshua’s mum] provided support on the route and managed to publicise the charity at the towns that we stopped in.”

The team stop in Sudbury where they are greeted by mayor Sue Ayres Picture: JOHN BURNS (Image: JOHN BURNS)

Mr Tarrant, who is a member of Haverhill Cycling Club along with Mr Webb and Mr Anderson, said it was a wet day “but one of the most enjoyable rides I have ever had”.

“I will never forget the warm welcome we received from the mayors of Ipswich, Hadleigh and Sudbury.

“They and their staff seemed genuinely pleased to see us, not only generous with there hospitality but all of them donated to our cause on the day.”

For more information about the Joshua Tarrant Trust see here.