Dad is on a marathon mission

A DEVOTED father has been pounding the streets in preparation for this year s London Marathon. Carl Pledger, 40, of Great Chishill, will be running the 26-mile course in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Mr Pledger s four-year old daughter Amalie suffers

A DEVOTED father has been pounding the streets in preparation for this year's London Marathon.

Carl Pledger, 40, of Great Chishill, will be running the 26-mile course in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Mr Pledger's four-year old daughter Amalie suffers from cystic fibrosis, and he is hoping to raise as much cash as he can to aid the work of the trust.

He said: ""I am committed to raising money to help find a cure for CF, to help my daughter Amalie, and other children like her.

"Running a marathon will be a challenge, as I only started running six months ago, but the knowledge I will be raising funds to help see off CF will spur me on to the finish line, and I hope to run it in under four hours."

Mr Pledger has been doing a lot of his training with Simon and Ollie Oughton, the landlord and lady at the Pheasant pub in Great Chishill.

He added: "They have been excellent in their help with my efforts to raise money for the trust. I'm really touched."

Regulars at the Pheasant have already raised cash for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, holding events including a charity meal, which raised �650, and a New Year's Eve tarts and vicars party, where another �150 was collected.

Cystic Fibrosis is the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease, and is caused by a defective gene.

As a result, the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, become clogged with thick sticky mucus resulting in chronic infections and inflammation in the lungs and difficulty digesting food.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust provides support, advice and appropriate clinical care to the 8,000 babies, children and adults with cystic fibrosis in the UK.

You can sponsor Mr Pledger by logging onto his website at www.justgiving.com/carlpledger