A SIXTY-three-year-old man is taking on his first marathon for charity.
Bernard Sugden, from Redditch, will run the Manchester Marathon on April 19 after seven years of distance running.
He hopes to raise funds for Bromsgrove & Redditch Welcome Refugees, the British Heart Foundation, and Prostate Cancer UK.
Mr Sugden said: "I wanted to run a marathon before I was 64 – it's a bit of a Beatles thing."
One of the chosen charities, Bromsgrove & Redditch Welcome Refugees, is especially close to his heart.
He volunteers with the charity, which supports refugees as they settle into the local community.
Mr Sugden said: "The charity does really good work.
"I love the fact that they help refugees set up their new lives in the area.
"The whole idea is to support people getting on their feet and to help them throughout the process."
The marathon choice also has personal meaning.
A retired Nokia sales director, Mr Sugden decided on Manchester after a close friend died during heart surgery in 2021.
At the wake, the man’s daughter and her friend said they would tackle the marathon in his honour.
Mr Sugden said: "I wasn’t ready back then but now that I am, it had to be Manchester."
He has set up Just Giving pages for all three charities.
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