A firefighter whose son died because he was not wearing his seatbelt properly is to cycle 365 miles around Oxfordshire in six days.

Bob Paterson, a watch manager at Oxford's Rewley Road fire station, will be joined by four colleagues on the bike ride to help publicise Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service's 365 Alive safety campaign.

The ride, which starts on Monday, will see the team of four firefighters and one control centre operator visit all of the county's 24 fire stations and encourage thousands of school children to take the 365 Alive pledge.

The three-step pledge asks people to make sure fire alarm batteries are checked once a week, that they have a fire escape plan and always wear a seatbelt in a car.

Mr Paterson, 48, from Cumnor, said: "It's very important to get the message into the public arena.

"I am always endeavouring to save people's lives through education, because sometimes when you get out with that blue light, it's too late.

"The exciting part for me is visiting the schools and talking to kids and trying to get them to take the pledge."

Mr Paterson won the Firefighters Charity Supporter of the Year Award at the Spirit of Fire Awards in London in March.

He has campaigned tirelessly for seatbelts since his son Dale, 13, died in a car crash while on holiday in Italy in August 2005.

Last year, Mr Paterson cycled the length of Britain, raising £15,000 for the firefighters benevolent fund.

He is hoping to raise at least £1,000 from donations made by visitors to the 365 Alive website during his latest cycling challenge.

He said: "It will be interesting. On the last one, I did London to John O' Groats.

"People might say this is going to be a walk in the park compared to that but it's going to be tough.

"There are quite a lot of hills in Oxfordshire. If we were cycling in a straight line we would be going from Land's End to Dover.

"It's surprising - when you sit on a bike and do 60 miles you forget how uncomfortable you can be in the saddle."

To find out more about the pledge, and to check on Mr Paterson's progress, see 365alive.co.uk