Burnley man steps up Great North Run challenge in aid of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation

Jason Severn originally decided to take on the the Great North Run next September to raise money for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in honour of his granddad, who died of the disease four years ago.

But now the 35-year-old will cover the same distance every month, starting from this Saturday and finishing with the big race next year where he will join around 60,000 runners taking on a route from Newcastle to South Shields.

"I thought it would be good to do it in my granddad’s memory – it means a lot to me, really, and my family and friends are proud of me. When you’re fundraising for charity, it holds you accountable. You have to carry on because people are donating their hard-earned money.”

Jason, a former member of Worsthorne With Hurstwood Runners, is jumping back into the deep end having taken five months off running to help his new puppy settle in.

"I’ve been doing it on and off for most of my life. I started running for mental health reasons. It clears your head and I enjoy it so I thought it would be good to do it for a good cause.”

He is also looking for donations of prizes for a raffle he is hosting at Oaklands Nursing Home where he works as a chef.

To support or join him in the challenge, please search for Jason Lee on Facebook, and to make a monetary donation, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/jay-severn-1694896207829?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fjay-severn-1694896207829&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share