Father’s Day 2024: The caring men of south London

Whether they're fathers, stepdads, grandfathers, or father figures, these individuals provide strength, wisdom, and love.

To honour them, we’ve gathered our most courageous, caring and crazy stories across south London throughout the last year and more.

From everyday heroism and tender moments to hilarious anecdotes, join us in celebrating the amazing dads and father figures who make life special.

Victim of life-changing Surbiton 'acid attack' left blind after thinking he would die

The victim of an "acid attack" in Surbiton was left blind and thought he was going to die after a man sprayed a corrosive substance into his car.

Dad-of-one Spencer Gymer explained that he was driving through Surbiton when he was approached by a motorcyclist who proceeded to “scream at him” on the driver’s side of his car.

He said: “I’m worried won't be able to visually see the love of my life, Phoenix, growing up and turning into a wonderful young man.

“I can't drive, and I may never drive again.

“Yeah, it's a game-changer.”

Sidcup man's gruelling challenges for Children with Cancer

A Sidcup dad took part in the London Marathon whilst wearing a weighted military backpack.

In 2018, James Page’s mum was diagnosed with cancer, and went through surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy, before getting the all-clear in 2019.

However, on that exact same day, James’s dad was also diagnosed with cancer.

Following that, James wanted to start raising money for a cancer charity.

The 41-year-old said: “I couldn’t imagine my children going through that, so I thought I’d start raising money for Children with Cancer.

Dartford dad releases debut horror novel

An author from Dartford has released his debut horror novel based on a killer who is out to seek revenge.

Tom Carter, a dad-of-two who has lived in Dartford his entire life, and even used to deliver the News Shopper paper as a young boy, has released his horror novel on Amazon – The Doctor Will See You Now.

Set in the modern day but with classic twists inspired by 90s horror, the story follows a detective who is assigned the case to find a serial killer in the fictional town of Crescent Hill.

Carshalton dad joins daughters' ballet class for charity

A dad swapped the trainers for a leotard and skirt and joined his daughters' ballet class to raise money for his favourite charity.

Lewis Hughes’ two daughters are part of TheatreBug, a dance school in Hackbridge which is run by Zoe Hodges.

Zoe has run the dance school for the past ten years, and each year she invites dads to join in on the class for Father’s Day, and the mums on Mother’s Day.

Lewis has joined in on previous Father’s Day classes in the past, and this year Zoe thought of a way for him to join while also raising money for his chosen charity: Great Ormond Street.

Orpington McDonald’s worker raises huge amount of cash to help families of sick kids

A McDonald’s employee recently raised £1,500 to help families of sick kids by running the Battersea Half Marathon.

Dean Jeffrey, a crew member from the McDonald’s Orpington restaurant on 291/293 High Street, raised the money for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides vital support to thousands of families across the UK at each of its 14 locations.

The Houses, located next to major hospitals, allow families to be by their child's bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normality during very difficult times.

Bromley dad gets Covid weeks after brain tumour diagnosis

A Bromley dad spent three months in intensive care after catching COVID - just two weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Carl Davison was diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma in December 2020, after suffering a seizure while watching TV. The 64-year-old's health has turned a corner since December 2023, with his annual MRI scans coming back all clear, and him feeling "considerably better".

His son, Callum said: "When Dad was in hospital, I was allowed to visit him on the ward once, in a gap between his comas.

"Dad was told before each coma that, because of how bad his condition was, he probably wouldn’t wake up.

"But he did make it out, even though he had to go straight back in to have his tumour removed."

Former East Croydon train worker tours UK stations

A former East Croydon railway worker who set out to visit all 2,580 train stations in the UK in just six weeks said his challenge has gone “really well” but he is “pining” for his own bed as the journey comes to a close.

Dave Jones, 34, set off from Three Bridges in West Sussex in mid-February and, after averaging 62 stations a day, will complete his challenge on Sunday after raising more than £2,300 for charity.

Mr Jones told the PA news agency that there had been “a few hiccups because of the weather” which had led to flooded stations and prevented him from visiting 14 stops along the way.

The rail enthusiast has been hopping out of the train carriage at each station to step onto the platform and taking a photo of each station sign.

Mr Jones has slept overnight on some trains with beds and stayed in hotels but, he added: “There have been a couple of times where I’ve used normal services that run throughout the night and I’ve just been getting as much sleep as I can.”