A GREENGROCER from Yate swapped runner beans for running shoes as he took on the London Marathon on Sunday (April 24).

Jimmy Deane, who runs Jimmy Dean’s Fruit and Veg stall in Yate Shopping Centre, pounded the capital’s street for 26.2 miles completing the course in three hours and eight minutes.

As well as overcoming several serious injuries, the 36-year-old father of two has also smashed his target of raising £2,000 for the EHE Rare Cancer Charity UK in support of his friend Nicola Henderson, also from Yate.

Nicola was diagnosed with rare vascular cancer EHE (Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma) in 2014 shortly after giving birth to her son Owen.

“Not many people have even heard of it,” said Jimmy, from Yate. “They are just starting out so it is about raising awareness as well.”

Jimmy, who took up running three years ago after putting on weight, had planned to run the Bristol to Bath Marathon in aid of the charity but had to pull out due to injury.

His fiancé Charlene Ollerenshaw, a good friend of Nicola, said: “Unfortunately Jimmy's training came with its own challenges including runners’ fatigue, groin strain, calf injury, a chest infection and a really scary asthma attack.

“Jimmy had to pull out of the Bristol to Bath event but luckily obtained a ballot place in the 2016 London Marathon so dedicated the next six months to continue fundraising and training.”

He ran alongside Nicola’s uncle Robert Smith, who was also running for EHE and finished in a time of five hours and 35 minutes.

Jimmy’s fundraising total for the EHE charity, which was only launched in the UK last summer, currently stands at £5,499. To donate go to justgiving.com/jimmydeane