THE fund-raising efforts of a grieving father and his friends have seen them double their original target.

Haltwhistle resident James Webb (27) and friends Stuie Grant, Callum Foxcroft, Daniel Johnson, Simon Pattinson and Liam Tweddle, have raised more than £2,000 for Teardrop Support Group after completing the 84-mile Hadrian’s Wall Path at the weekend.

The team signed up for the challenging task as a thank you to the charity, which works with families who have experienced the death of a baby, after James and Larissa lost their daughter Sophia to stillbirth.

James said: “I am pretty proud we have made a significant contribution to a charity close to my heart and which has helped me personally.

“I’m really thankful to my mates for supporting us step by step, and they suffered and were sore along the way. Larissa and I have been so touched that our story has had such a good response from people and it’s nice to see people come together and donate to such a nice cause.”