THE deputy head of Wem's Thomas Adams School has told of how the support he received while he was treated for mouth cancer drove him to support a local charity when running the London Marathon.

Tom McAleavy took part in the London Marathon on Sunday, April 23 and he will be using the proceeds raised to raise money for Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.

Mr McAleavy was motivated to raise money for Lingen Davies after being diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2017.

He was given the all clear in 2022, and said he wanted to give back to Lingen Davies for the support he received.

OTHER NEWS

He said: "Lingen Davies helped me with speech therapy, nutrition and it played a key part in supporting my family going through the process.

"It just felt like the right time to pay a little bit back."

The Thomas Adams deputy head praised Thomas Adams School for its support and spoke about the support shown for him by staff and parents.

Mr McAleavy said: "The support from the school has been fantastic.

"I am so overwhelmed and humbled by the people who have shown such great generosity."

"We have raised over £2,500 now. It is incredibly rewarding and humbling to be part of.

"We will be finishing in May or June and we are looking to be close to £3,000.

"We set ourselves a target of £2,022 because it represented the year I was given my five-year clear of cancer which is a bit of a milestone."

This was the first time Mr McAleavy had taken part in the London Marathon.

He said: "It is the first time and the atmosphere and experience was fantastic.

"I'd run a little bit beforehand and I had done a couple of half marathons.

"It is always something I aspired to be part of. It is the pinnacle of marathons.

"It felt an ideal opportunity to use that and my enjoyment of running to use it as a vehicle to try and raise money for Lingen Davies.

Want to stay up to date with all the latest stories from Whitchurch and the surrounding area? Click here to sign up for our morning and daily email newsletters and click on the + for the 'Morning Briefing' and the 'Daily Catch-Up'.

"Lingen Davies was kind enough to pick me to represent it."

Mr McAleavy added: "I started doing long runs when we hit January.

"I usually trained three times a week in preparation for it.

"It was a bit of a challenge fitting that around work and family

"It was something which was worthwhile and I am very happy to have taken part in it and represented Lingen Davies."

You can donate via https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tom-mcaleavy