It was a 156-mile bike ride home regularly tackled by impoverished wartime medical student James Slator.

Eastern Daily Press: Dr James Slator and wife MaryDr James Slator and wife Mary (Image: Submitted)

He set off from Oxford on a standard old 'treader' bike, often at night - navigating by the stars and napping under a hedge if got tired on his way to Holt.

Dr Slator went on to be a leading light at Kelling Hosptial as a chest physician and tireless fundraiser before his death aged 91 on January 1 this year.

And now eight members of his family are going to follow in his wheeltracks - to generate cash for the hospital he loved.

Youngest daughter Ann, 52, said: 'Daddy was a keen cyclist. It was a theme that kept coming up at his funeral.

'We miss his dreadfully and it seemed logical to do something in his memory to do with cycling.'

Young James Slator did his Oxford to Holt trips when he was a medical student between 1941 and 46.

'Because the war was on the course was compressed from six years to four so there was very little time off. But when there was he would hop on his bike and head home to Holt - even though it might take a day or two.

'He had no car and could not afford public transport,' added his daughter.

It was no hardship for a man who cycled regularly into his mid 80s - including doing a charity trip from Holt to Cambridge to raise funds of a Holt church bells appeal.

Ann, 53 from Chippenham, is being joined on the trip by Dr Slator's sons Richard, 64 from Surrey and David, 63, from Scotland, grandsons Jon, Duncan and Edd, along with Ann's husband Kevin Dobson and Richard's son-in-law Simon Clegg. They will leave Pembroke College at Oxford with staggered start times to allow for different speeds - and meet up at Thornage to do the last five miles together arriving at Kelling Hospital on Sunday evening. They are raising money for the hospital Friends, which Dr Slator helped found, to equip four new palliative care beds.

To support their effort make a donation at

http://bit.ly/JamesSlatorMemorial or send a donation to Friends of Kelling, c/o Kelling Hospital, Holt, Norfolk clearly stating the donation is for the James Slator Memorial Challenge.