AN OUTDOOR sports fan from Poole is embarking on an epic journey to raise cash to buy a headstone for his dad’s grave.

Skateboarder Ben Schofield, 21, will longboard 140 miles from Le Havre in northern France to Paris in an attempt to raise £1,200 in memory of dad Alan Brooks Schofield, who died from cancer aged 51 in 2007.

Ben said that, since then, money had been tight and the family had not been able to afford a headstone.

He said: “I was lying in bed one night, thinking to myself that I needed to do something this summer, something spontaneous and something I love doing.

“I thought, ‘Where have I not been and is a long way? Paris. What do I love to do? Longboard.

“I put two and two together and came up with 2 Paris with Wheels, a fundraising event I would create to raise enough funds to be able to get my dad the headstone he deserved.”

Ben will be joined by friend Andy Vickers, who will raise cash for Multiple Sclerosis charities in memory of his aunt, Paul Jackson.

The adventure will see them travel through towns, cities and countryside, sleeping in tents, and the pair aim to complete the trip in three days.

They will be greeted by a group of longboarders when they arrive in the French capital.

Ben and Andy will be filming and documenting the trip online.

Ben added: “Everything is ready and in place, so I just want to go and do it.

“I’ve been doing 30 miles here and there as training.

“I’m guessing there will be a few tears along the way and when I get to Paris.”

Find out more at gofundme.com/ks2j0.