East Lothian father and four-year-old son to cycle for lung cancer charity after friend's stage 4 diagnosis

A father and his young son from East Lothian are embarking on an ambitious cycling challenge for a lung cancer charity, following a close friend's stage 4 diagnosis.

Police officer Dan Clarke and his four-year-old son Matthew Clarke, from Pencaitland, are raising funds for ALK Positive UK ahead of the Tour de 4 event in Glasgow on September 6.

Dan and Matthew out on their bikes ahead of their charity challenge in September. | Submitted

Dan and Matthew, who will be five by then, will cycle laps of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome for at least 1km in an hour. However, the pair expect to cycle for around 4-5km in that time.

Dan decided to take on the charity challenge after close family friend Emma Philp, 36, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in her early 30s. Emma has received support from the ALK Positive UK charity throughout her journey.

Easy rider Matthew Clarke out on his bike near his East Lothian home. | Submitted

Seeing the impact Emma's illness has had on her and her family inspired the father and son to get on their bikes to give back to the charity.

Dan said: “We are doing this for Emma, who was diagnosed with cancer at such a young age.

“We have known Emma for about 10 years, she is married to a friend of my wife. They live nearby and have got kids the same age, so they play with each other.

“Matthew has been cycling for about a year now independently, starting on a balance bike, but now he just goes on his bike and takes off, with me chasing after him.

“I actually just got a bike yesterday so we are going to start training together to be ready for the challenge in September.

“For the kids taking part at Tour de 4, it’s a 1km loop of the velodrome so I will cycle alongside him.

“Friends and family will be with us in Glasgow to cheer us on so it should be a great day.”

Four-year-old Matthew, who has only cycled for the past year, will take on the 1km challenge in Glasgow later this year. | Submitted

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Dan said taking part together as father and son is a chance to support an important cause, and show Matthew the importance of helping others during difficult times.

He added: “He obviously doesn’t really understand the ultimate consequences for Emma, but it is good to give him the idea of helping others and giving back to such a great charity, which has really helped Emma and her family.

“We think this is an important thing to do, a good thing to do, we are looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good experience bonding with Matthew.”

To donate to Dan and Mathew’s charity challenge, click here.