Cobbled streets in Paris will soon reverberate with noise from the tyres of a group of cyclists keen to raise £10,000 to help out a St Albans family which has had two children suffer from brain tumours.

Last year, just five years after his older sister, Tilly Martindale, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour, Chad started noticing similar symptoms.

Their mum, Sharron Brunton, of Sandridge, explained: “Chad said he felt like there was air building up inside his head, and like there was something behind his eye.”

At the age of 12, the Sandringham School pupil was also diagnosed as having a brain tumour.

Chad has had a malignant tumour removed from his brain, undergone radiotherapy and is having chemotherapy.

Staff from nhance Independent, a financial advice firm of Cottonmill Lane, hope to help the family by taking part in a charity bike ride which starts in Paris on May 8.

A group of six cyclists and two support people will take two days to complete 300km, returning to Lille on May 10.

Practice manager at nhance, Michelle King, who helped organise the ride, said: “On the dates we travel it will be exactly a year since Chad’s diagnosis and May 10, the day we return, will be Chad’s 13th birthday.”

Michelle explained that she had known Sharron and her family for a number of years.

She added: “Sharron has worked for nhance as our office cleaner for around a decade. When we heard about Chad’s illness, so soon after Tilly’s diagnosis, we wanted to arrange something which would specifically benefit the family as Sharron has had to give up a lot of her cleaning jobs to take care of Chad.

“We wanted to try to ease the financial burden somewhat so the family can concentrate on getting Chad better.”

The firm has set up the Chad Martindale Trust Fund, for which it has already raised £2,000.

If you would like to support the team’s fundraising efforts, please send a cheque made payable to “The Chad Martindale Trust” to Michelle King, nhance Ltd, 2nd floor, New Barnes Mill, Cottonmill Lane, St Albans, Herts AL1 2HA.

You can follow progress of the bike ride on Facebook