Norfolk dad who lost son to suicide climbs steps of Cromer Church for bereavement charity

• Video report by ITV News Anglia's Andy Ward

A father who lost his son to suicide has climbed the stairs of the tallest church tower in Norfolk to raise money for a bereavement charity.

Shawn Brown was joined for the challenge on Saturday by colleagues Michael and Nathan who made the journey all the way from Southampton.

The trio made their way up the 173 steps of Cromer Church, twice - a height of 320ft.

That works out about 100ft taller than Grenfell Tower, an achievement made even more impressive by the fact that all three were wearing firefighter equipment.

Mr Brown worked as a retained firefighter in the North Norfolk town for nine years, and wanted to incorporate the gear to make the challenge harder.

All the money raised will go towards the 'Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide' charity - a cause close to Shawn's heart after his son Adam took his own life three years ago.

"Adam was a character. A lovable rogue he was described as. He was my best friend, my buddy," he told ITV News Anglia.

"It was like my right arm being cut off. He had a lot of mental health problems from the age of 10. The support wasn't there through the mental health system so that's another reason why we need to get this charity off the ground."

Adam was only 22 when he died in June 2018.

He was said to be at his happiest when he was out at sea with his dad, who had made the transition from firefighter to fisherman.

That love of the sea was reflected at Adam's funeral when his body was carried through the streets of Cromer in a tractor and a fishing boat.

Although no challenge will be able to bring Adam back, Shawn hopes that by raising awareness, he will be able to prevent other families from going through the same heartache.

"He'd probably be looking down now thinking: 'Dad, you're an idiot! What are you doing?'," Shawn joked.

"I've done him proud ever since he's been gone, so yeah, I think he would be proud of me."