Newlywed plans fundraising exploits

A newlywed author is aiming to raise thousands of pounds for Bowel Cancer UK after losing his father to the disease just months before his wedding.

Lee Crompton said his dad Edward "would have loved every minute of the day" after tying the knot with fiancé Gemma Craik last month, the Ayr Advertiser reports.

Mr Crompton stated: "To lose your father is hard enough but especially when he had remained so positive throughout this treatment and was so looking forward to my stag do and our wedding day."

He is now determined to help generate cash for the charity in his father's memory and is currently planning a number of fundraising exploits.

As well as taking on the Three Peaks Challenge in May, where he will climb three of the UK's largest mountains in 24 hours, Mr Crompton will be offering people the chance to enter a prize draw to name a character in his next novel in return for a £3 donation to the cause.

The book, due to be released next autumn, will be the writer's fourth novel following on from previous titles including Digging Deeper, 12 Months and Worlds Apart.