I wanted to raise money for a cancer charity while achieving my long-held ambition to run the London Marathon. Cancer has affected several members of my family over the years and in an effort to help those living with cancer in my local community, I asked the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity if they would allow me to run for them.

HRCC does some fantastic work in my home county, running a number of centres, complementary therapies and support group for people living with cancer in Essex. The charity is the legacy of BBC broadcaster Helen Rollason, whose vision was: “Good quality of life while coping with cancer is the most important gift a sick person can receive. It should be available to everyone.”