A young man from Royston who lost his dad in a freak road accident earlier this year has taken on a 24-hour gaming marathon to raise money for the charity which has supported him and his family.

Royston Crow: Mitchell Bailey, who died in a tragic accident in January.Mitchell Bailey, who died in a tragic accident in January. (Image: Archant)

George Bailey decided to fundraise for the Road Victims Trust, which provides support to those affected by fatal road collisions, following the tragic death of his dad Mitchell.

The 58-year-old was walking by Royston’s Old North Road roundabout in January when a fire engine on an emergency call somehow lost control and collided with him.

About the 24-hour marathon held in his dad’s memory, George told the Crow: “I had a little nap on Friday but not much, then I started at 10pm with Crash Bandicoot, so I could play a solo game.

“Then my friends got involved, and we were streaming it online. I got lots of messages of support and the fundraising total was going up while I was playing.

“The first two to three hours were fine, when it got to 3am, everyone dropped off and went to bed and came back about 9am or 10am the next morning, but there was loads of supportive messages which kept me going.

“About 17 hours in – so 3pm on Saturday – was the worst bit, but I was determined I was going to finish it.”

George – who works for Volkswagen – completed the 24-hour challenge mainly drinking water, and stopped only for toilet breaks.

“We smashed the target – I wanted to raise £500, but we’re up to £1,760 so I’m really pleased with that,” he said.

“The last half an hour was a massive struggle, I had nothing left.

“I put on a Rage game, and tried the same level 20 to 30 times but couldn’t do it then, as it turned 10pm – after 24-hours exactly – I got through the level. It was so weird.

“I was so pleased with finishing and how much I raised – I wanted to raise £500, but we absolutely smashed the target.

“I was tired before we reached the end but afterwards I got a second wind – I was buzzing. I want to thank everyone for getting me through.”

George said his family were a little apprehensive at first about him staying up for so long gaming.

The 22-year-old said he first decided to do the marathon gaming session at the end of May to “give something back” to the charity which works in Herts, Cambs and Beds to support people dealing with the grief and trauma of a road death.

George and his family are still getting support from the charity, and said they have been taking it “each day at a time” since Mitchell’s death.

George added: “The Road Victims Trust gave me the option of someone to talk to to see how you are getting on, they’ve helped me so much.

“They’re all volunteers, and have to give up their time, so I wanted to do something for them to thank them for everything they’ve done for us.”

To add to George’s total visit justgiving.com/gbailey3.