A WICKWAR man ran ten marathons in ten days in aid of a cancer charity.

Nick Pollard completed the impressive feat last month, raising just under £4,000, so far, for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The 42-year-old decided to undertake the daunting challenge as he has known several people who've had cancer and wanted to do something to help.

Nick, who enjoys running, and is on his feet all day in his work as a refuse collector, tackled the 262.18 mile distance close to home, running a circular route of 26.21 miles, from Wickwar, through Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Cromhall, each day.

He ran on his own for the most part, save for the last couple of miles on the final day, when he was joined by a friend.

"I was doing quite a lot of thinking as I was running, about a lot of different things. It was quite therapeutic," he said.

"I found that it was more of a mental challenge than a physical one, and it was important to keep as positive as possible. 

"I was running a little bit slower than if I was doing a race, taking between under four hours, and four and a half hours per marathon.

"I've just got a GPS watch, so I uploaded my distances and the maps on Facebook every day, to verify what I'd done."

A final tally of what Nick has raised has yet to be made, but so far £2,940 has been donated online via his crowdfunding page, with other cash donations to be added. On top of that, comes a further amount from Wickwar Social Club.

"My local pub, the Wickwar Social Club have been very generous. They said they would sponsor me £100 per marathon, and have already sent a cheque for £1,000 directly to Macmillan Cancer Support."

At the end of Nick's last run, a surprise awaited him in the village.

"There was a group of people out in the street waiting to welcome me, which was really nice," he said.

To donate visit: mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/nickpollard1