A NORTH Yorkshire dad who said he has lost "too many" friends and relatives to cancer is aiming to raise thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK.

Neil Fitzpatrick is releasing a CD single, Apart, and hopes to raise at least £25,000 for the charity.

Neil, who lives in Scarborough with his wife Ellie and two-year-old son Charlie, had his first brush with the disease four years ago when a close friend’s sister died of bowel cancer, aged 42.

Then in 2012, Neil’s mother-in-law Penny died of breast cancer at the age of 59, followed last year by his dad, Derek, who died just after Christmas of lung cancer.

“It’s just so sad that Charlie is going to grow up without three of his grandparents,” said Neil. “I’ve lost too many people to this terrible disease, and I wanted to do something to help in the fight against it. When I’m not at my desk designing, I play the piano professionally – so a CD seemed the obvious move.”

Apart will go on sale for a minimum donation of £5 per copy, with proceeds going to Cancer Research UK. It is available to buy online at www.apartsong.co.uk, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/apartsong or at Woodend Creative Workspace, Scarborough.