Alomst £3,000 raised in support of a popular marathon runner known as “Mr Halstead” has been presented to a cancer centre campaign.

Grandfather Terry Rivers, 70, a retired bricklayer, of Harvey Street, Halstead, was diagnosed with lymphoma three years ago and is undergoing a course of chemotherapy at the Mary Barron Suite at Colchester General Hospital.

Terry, who has raised thousands of pounds for worthy causes through running 78 marathons, was supported himself by a charity evening at the Green Man pub in Gosfield on October 29.

Yesterday, the £2,785 raised was handed to Colchester Hospitals Charity’s cancer centre campaign during a presentation at Gosfield’s Vanity Box salon.

Owner Joanne Garrard, a friend of Mr Rivers’ daughter Claire Di Rosa, organised the event with staff Lucy Bowles, Rebecca Creed and Sonia Shepherd.

Mr Rivers’ wife, Patricia, said: “Terry has raised thousands of pounds for good causes by running marathons.

“We’re very pleased with the care he’s been given at Colchester General Hospital and he wanted to do something for the Mary Barron Suite, where everybody has given us such fantastic help.

“It was the idea of the Vanity Box to hold a fundraising evening and it just took off from there.”

The campaign is to raise £4.5 million to relocate Colchester General Hospitals’ chemotherapy unit into a new building next to its new £25 million radiotherapy centre, to form an integrated cancer centre.

So far, just over £1 million has been donated.

Mrs Di Rosa said: “I am very proud of the hard work my dad has done over his years of raising money for people in need.

“We all know someone who has been affected by cancer and when I found out about my dad, I felt like my heart stopped beating.

“How could my dad, my rock, have to go through this ordeal?

“Thankfully, a great team of nurses on the Mary Barron Suite have been amazing.

“I wanted to my help my dad help others by raising money to help the unit.”