A man from Long Ditton will run the London Marathon next weekend to raise much needed funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK, a charity very close to his heart.

Callum Stott, 24, of Pound Close, has seen the affects of pancreatic cancer first hand after his father, Edward Stott, succumbed to the disease in January 2012, one month before his 61st birthday.

His father started to deteriorate in the summer of 2010 when Mr Stott graduated from university, losing four stone, before he was diagnosed in January 2011.

Mr Stott said: “It was so hard to see the disease take its grip on my father’s health, therefore my sister Alice and I wanted to fundraise as much as possible to help others who are going through the treatment with an aim for a better outcome.”

To help with his marathon training, Mr Stott, a rugby player for Cobham RFC, completed the Silverstone Half Marathon in one hour and 52 minutes, but prior to this, had only run eight miles for ‘Harry Hawkes 8’.

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK and at about 4 per cent, it has the lowest survival rate of the 21 most common cancers.

Leeann Wilmer, community and events manager at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “We are delighted Callum is taking part in the Virgin London Marathon and that he has chosen to support Pancreatic Cancer UK.

“The money raised by Callum and all the other participants in this event will go towards helping us to fight this terrible disease through providing information and support to patients and their families, campaigning, and research.”

To support Callum and his 26.2 mile challenge, visit justgiving.com/CallumStott.