A funeral director from Teddington is well underway with training as he prepares to take on the October London Marathon in support of Children with Cancer UK.

Sean Woodcock, based at Holmes & Daughters on Teddington High Street, is no stranger to running and regularly takes part in the annual Great South Run down in Portsmouth.

However, October's London Marathon will prove to be Sean's toughest challenge yet as he is yet to compete in the annual capital event.

When asked how the opportunity came about to enter this year's London Marathon, the 45-year-old said: "To be honest, it has always been on the bucket list to compete in the London Marathon. I applied for a ballot place at the end of last year which I was unsuccessful in, I was then placed in the second ballot, but again unsuccessful so I thought London wasn't for me this year.

"Then at the end of July, nine weeks before the London Marathon, I received an email from Children with Cancer UK saying that they would love to have me represent them.

"It was completely out of the blue and so unexpected that I had already signed up for this year's Great South Run which is also in October!"

Despite the combined distance of 36 miles Sean will be running over the course of October, and the fact he will be preparing for both runs in half the amount of normal time, the Teddington funeral director is relishing the opportunity to embark on his toughest challenge yet.

Having previously run on behalf of JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Foundation), Sands and Macmillan Cancer Support, sponsoring charities is something Sean holds close to his heart.

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He added: I have a nephew who is type one diabetic and my brother in law's twins passed away when they were very young, so supporting these causes hits incredibly close to home.

"Supporting causes like Children with Cancer UK allows me to play my part in helping to save lives, giving young ones who are living with cancer every opportunity to live better with and after treatment."   

Children with Cancer UK is the leading national charity dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer.

In 2019, the charity raised £17.3 million to fund specialist childhood cancer research and to support families affected by childhood cancer.

To donate to Sean Woodcock's fundraiser in support of Children with Cancer UK, visit his page here.