A Hampton man walked in his father’s footsteps by completing a mammoth charity trek 50 years to the day of his father’s feat.

Bryan Searle walked 55 miles from London to Brighton to raise money for Diabetes UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.

The 49-year-old was joined by his Surrey County Council colleagues and left Westminster Bridge at 11pm on Friday, May 10 - the same time that his father Ron Searle left in 1963 - arriving on the coast 20 hours later.

The father-of-two, who lives in Carlisle Road, said: “Completing the walk gave us a real sense of achievement and, although it was tough at times, it was a really positive experience for all of us.

“The original walk took place the year before I was born and, while I was vaguely aware that it had happened, I never talked to my dad about it in any detail.

“It wasn’t an organised event and unfortunately he’s no longer around to ask, so I can only speculate about what motivated him to do it in the first place.

“I decided that I would recreate the walk in 2013 to mark the 50th anniversary, and use it as an opportunity to raise money for charity.”

The two charities are very close to Mr Searle’s heart as his father developed diabetes in his late 30s and suffered from dementia later in life, a condition his mother also has.

Mr Searle has raised about £2,500, to support him visit nightwalktobrighton.co.uk.