Rupert puts best foot forward for cancer charity

9th April'2009

A Chandler’s Ford resident who beat cancer in his early twenties is running the London Marathon to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

Rupert Robinson, a Business Banking Partner at Clydesdale Bank in Southampton, will be pounding the capital’s streets on behalf of CLIC Sargent, the country’s leading charity caring for children with cancer.

The 40-year-old said the memory of his own experience battling cancer will motivate him to complete the gruelling 26 mile 385 yard course.

Rupert explained: “CLIC Sargent is a charity I’ve supported for a while now. When I was diagnosed with cancer a number of years ago I learned first hand what a traumatic time it is for both the individual and for close friends and family.

“It was hard enough to deal with at the age of 22 so what it must be like for one of the 10 children who are told they have cancer in the UK every day, and their families, I can’t imagine. CLIC Sargent do a wonderful job caring for the children and their families at this difficult time, providing everything from nursing care, to respite breaks and financial assistance.”

Rupert, who is married with three children, hopes to complete the course in a time around the four-hour mark, despite a recent bout of tonsillitis interrupting his training schedule.

He said: “That came at a bad time just as I was preparing to do the longest runs but on the plus side I did lose half a stone so I’m arguably in better shape! I’m also hoping that the hilly route I have been training on from Chandler’s Ford out past Marwell Zoo will pay off and make the flat streets of London seem a bit easier.”