Student Matthew Bending kept a promise he had made to his mother - the day after she lost her brave fight against cancer.

He set off on a marathon 323-mile cycle ride from London to Lands End to raise money for the hospice where she died.

Matthew, 21, of Ringmer, and five friends completed the gruelling journey in less than five days.

Their efforts raised nearly £5,000 for The Martlets Hospice, in Hove, where his mother Angela was cared for during her battle against breast and bone cancer.

She died in February, the day before Matthew was due to leave for London to lead the ride.

He said: "Mum knew she might die while I was away, so I asked her if she wanted me to call it off. She knew that the money we were going to raise would help others like her and she insisted we went ahead.

"She died the day before we were due to leave and everyone agreed that we should go ahead and dedicate the ride to her memory.

"Every time the going got tough and I felt like giving up, I remembered how she had not complained once about the cancer.

"She was a committed Christian and I am sure she was watching over us in Heaven."

Matthew, who has just graduated with a science degree from St Mary's University College, London, is now planning his next fund-raiser for the hospice.

He plans to run in the London Marathon next year and hopes to raise as much again.

Matthew, who has two sisters, said: "The hospice and its staff were wonderful and we can't praise them too highly for what they did for her, especially Gay Hughes, her nurse."

The Martlets, which cares for people with terminal cancer, has to raise most of the £2million it needs each year to meet its running costs.