A HUSBAND from Clacton is taking on the London Marathon as a heartfelt thank you to the cancer charity that supported his wife.

Stephen Metcalfe will be running the marathon on April 28 to thank Macmillan Cancer support for the amazing care the charity gave his family after his wife Jenny was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago.

Stephen, 45, a team leader at Tesco, said: “The treatment Jenny had was gruelling for her and affected us all as a family.

“We would not have got through that time without the information, advice and support the Macmillan specialists gave us.”

The family, including children Emily, 18, and Lewis, 15, enjoyed a Christmas family day out in London after Jenny’s treatment thanks to a Macmillan grant.

Stephen said: “It was just wonderful for us to spend time as a family and my lasting memory is Jenny proudly pulling her hat off, not being embarrassed that she had lost her hair through chemotherapy when she put a bauble on Macmillan’s Christmas Tree of Hope.”

Stephen will be cheered along the 26-mile London route by Jenny, Emily and Lewis.

He added: “They think I’m crazy for taking on the challenge, but we all know how much Macmillan has helped us and I want other families to be able to benefit from the support that we had.”

Macmillan relies almost entirely on public donations and the fundraising efforts of people like Stephen.

To sponsor him visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Stephenmetcalfe.

If you would like to take on a challenge and raise money for Macmillan, more information about getting involved is available at macmillan.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising-events.

You can also call Macmillan Cancer Support, if you need support or just want someone to talk to about cancer, free on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk.