A CAVALCADE of cars and motorbikes will take part in a funeral tribute on Monday (29 September) for a Hadleigh teenager who died last month after a battle against cancer.

Nineteen-year-old Mason Gentry-Brown was a self-confessed 'petrolhead', who loved everything from speedy motorbikes to the roar of a supercar engine. He developed a passion for motorbikes at an early age.

Mason had a love of bikes from an early age.

On Monday, in keeping with his last wish, a convoy of more than 100 motorbikes and cars will follow his funeral procession on what will be bike-loving Mason's final ride-out.

Mason was dealt his cancer diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma in July 2024 and fought it bravely, endured gruelling treatments and lengthy hospital stays. He passed away at St Elizabeth Hospice, in Ipswich, on 30 August.

His mum, Cheryl Gentry said the funeral tribute would have been something Mason would have appreciated, saying: "I think he will hear it and that's what we want, to make a roar that he can hear up there."

Cheryl said she was 'so proud' of how her son, who she described as 'polite with a cheeky grin' had coped with his illness.

Mason loved machines.

Despite knowing his cancer - which initially spread from his arm into his pelvis and lower spine - would eventually consume him, Mason refused to let it stop him.

His mum said he consistently "showed so much resilience", refused to give up, even though the odds were against him, and "didn't stop fighting until the very end".

"He carried on and tried living his life and did everything he wanted to do where he could and where his body allowed. He knew that he was going to miss things, and he was annoyed that it had taken so much from him, but he never stopped smiling."

Mason, whose funeral will take place at Mistley and Manningtree Church, was diagnosed after initially complaining about a dull ache in his arm. X-rays and tests revealed a 23cm tumour had grown and spread to other parts of his body.

A demanding schedule of biopsies, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments at a variety of hospitals followed, as doctors tried to suppress the disease.

But just three weeks after finishing his treatment at the end of April, scans revealed his cancer was growing once again.

Mason with dad Steve Brown.

It was shortly after this point that doctors told Mason that they could use chemotherapy to somewhat control the cancer, but not cure it.

"He knew his days were numbered, but he was saying he was fighting for everyone else," said Ms Gentry. "It wasn't even about him - he was always worried about the impact it would have on everyone else."

Both Cheryl and Mason's dad Steve Brown, were with Mason when he did. "I'd been watching him in pain, discomfort and torment, so it was a relief, but I was also angry and sad, I kind of felt everything," said Cheryl.

"His dad and I saw him into the world, and we saw him out of it, and I couldn't be more proud of him – he was astonishing to me."

The Ride For Mason will start in Bridge Street, in Hadleigh, at 11.30am before travelling through Lawford (where Mason was born), past Mistley Manor, and then onto St Mary's and St Michael's Church in Mistley for his funeral service.