A DAD is taking on the London Marathon to raise awareness of the painful skin condition suffered by his son.

Mark Algar's son Ollie has Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), genetic condition which causes blistering of the skin, and he is raising money for the charity Debra, which supports people with the condition,

Mr Algar, who works in the Co-op in Easington, has won the backing of his employer, and all 21 Co-ops in Durham are holding a monthly Debra charity day.

If Mr Algar reaches his £10,000 fundraising total for Debra this year through the London Marathon, he and his family and friends will have made £20,000 for the charity in total.

He said: "This by far is toughest thing I ever trained for, the aches and pains going through the training plan have being very tough at times.

"My inspiration is Ollie, knowing and seeing what my lad goes through every day, dealing with blisters and open wounds gives me the strength I need to get through.

"Ollie has recessive dystrophic EB and is such a positive kid he never lets anything get in his way. And I am definitely not letting this stand in my way."

For more information or to donate, see https://t.co/NVEfuQEuoM

In 2016 Mr Algar and cousin Paul Buckworth completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and took their fundraising for the year to more than £5,000 by taking part in the Redcar Boxing Day Dip.

Last August the pair did the National Three Peaks, and in 2018, Mr Algar and family friend Stephen Gray are running the London Marathon.