Dad of murdered Poppy to tackle two mountain ranges on bicycle

A SOMERSET dad is to embark on a gruelling challenge to pay tribute to his “amazing” daughter, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend.

Poppy Devey Waterhouse, 24, of Frome, was killed by Joe Atkinson at a flat the pair shared in Leeds in December 2018.

Her father Rupert Waterhouse is set to begin a cycle through the French and Italian Alps this weekend in her memory.

Poppy grew up in Frome before gaining a first-class degree in financial mathematics and then a distinction in her masters in statistics at Nottingham University.

She would have celebrated her 28th birthday next month but her untimely death left her family “broken and with a vast empty space in our lives.”

“She [Poppy] enjoyed seeing the world and spent time travelling in Europe, Australia, the Far East and South America,” Rupert said.

Starting tomorrow Rupert will be “tackling two back-to-back” events of the renowned amateur Haute Route cycling series cycling 1,250 kilometres through the French Alps and then the Italian Dolomites, with two days off in the middle.

Raising money for Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse (AAFDA), Rupert has raised just over £7,500 so far. Anyone wishing to donate can do so via JustGiving.