A MAN has taken on his tenth London Marathon to raise funds for Colchester General Hospital.

Gavin Allen, 44, has raised more than £400 for the Mary Barron Cancer Unit at the hospital.

This was Gavin’s tenth time running the London Marathon for the unit.

He said: “Me and my boxing coach go to the chemo suite and hand over the money to the nurses.

“Giving the cash is a lovely feeling and you feel like you’ve done your bit for a nice local charity.

“It gives you something to run for.”

The charity was chosen by Halstead Amateur Boxing Club, where Gavin is a member.

He said: “It’s close to my heart and we all know someone whose life has been touched by the dreaded C word.”

Last year the money Mr Allen raised went towards a chair for patients to use during their chemotherapy at the cancer unit.

Gavin said the run went “better than he expected”, completing it in 2hrs 51min and guaranteeing his place for 2020.

He said: “Even if I slogged my carcass around the course, it’s an achievement to finish and raise money for a good cause.”