A DEVOTED son is running the London marathon to raise cash for the charity that helped his father. Stuart Kirbyshire will be taking part in the marathon, on April 26, on behalf of the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) after they came to the a

A DEVOTED son is running the London marathon to raise cash for the charity that helped his father.

Stuart Kirbyshire will be taking part in the marathon, on April 26, on behalf of the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) after they came to the aid of his partially sighted dad, Simon.

He said: "The RNIB were very helpful and supportive when my dad was first diagnosed.

"I've been looking to do something to say thank you for some time, so I am delighted to be taking part in the marathon and really looking forward to it."

For the last few months Stuart has been training hard at the Melbourn Village College gym, where he is a member.

He has also been putting the hours in pounding the streets.

"I've never done a marathon before so it was a bit daunting to start with. But I've been doing increasingly longer runs over the last few weeks as I've started to get more fit so I'm nearly there," he said.

Stuart, who is aiming to complete the course in under four hours, will have a familiar face running alongside him.

He said: "My dad is doing the marathon as well. He lives in Hitchin so we can't train together, but we keep in touch. I think he's probably been more dedicated to it than I have."

To sponsor Stuart, visit www.justgiving.com/simonandstuartkirbyshiremarathon09