UP CLOSE: From Ibiza to Wilmslow – meet the solicitor from Sandbach who is going to marathon lengths in memory of his dad.

Father-of- two Darren Neighbour was devastated when he lost his beloved father, Colin, to Sarcoma in 2019.

The 41-year-old, a commercial property lawyer with Poole Alcock in Nantwich, had hoped his 69 year old dad would be around to see his grandchildren grow up.

Darren was hoping his dad, a former BT engineer, would spend more time with his two children, Jack (8) and Myles (6) teaching them the kinds of skills grandparents do.

But sadly Sarcoma, a cancer, took away that wish when Darren's father passed away leaving the family in pieces.

"It was a very difficult time for all of us. He loved his grandchildren and it's so sad that he's not still with us to see them now," said Darren who lives in Henshall Drive.

But instead of dwelling on the sadness, Darren, decided to throw himself into a new challenge and started running.

Darren employed a trainer and started hitting the roads and paths building up his fitness.

Now he trains six times a week, getting up early in the morning to pound the local paths and going out again during his lunchtime when he is able to running around 45 minutes at a time.

Darren even ran during a family holiday to Ibiza, getting up early in the morning to beat the heat and recently ran all the way from his Sandbach home to Wilmslow – a journey of 19 miles.

He has also runs in Devon when the family visit Darren's mum and the fitness doesn't stop when Darren takes out the family dog, Tilly for walks.

Darren often wears his Sarcoma UK running shirt and will be running as part of the Sarcoma team running to raise money for Sarcoma in the London Marathon on October 3rd.

He said: "My dad was born and lived in London most of his life and worked in the city as a BT engineer, so running the London Marathon for Sarcoma UK was the obvious choice.

"I'm taking on the 2021 London Marathon to change the lives of people affected by Sarcoma.

"I had never heard of Sarcoma until my dad was diagnosed in 2018. If more people knew what Sarcoma was they would get that lump checked out earlier. The earlier Sarcoma is diagnosed the greater the chance of successful treatment.

"I want to help get the word out that Sarcoma is cancer and 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with it every day."

Darren hopes to raise £5,000 to fund research into Sarcoma and has already raised just over £4,000 but hopes during the last week or so he can reach his goal.

Darren says on his just-giving page: "I've not run in a race since school. Running the 26.2 miles on the day will be a real challenge but I want to make my dad proud.

"Please support me to help us find better treatments, ensure people get the care they need and fund expert information and support for anyone who needs it."

Would you like to help Darren's Sarcoma marathon run?

You can donate to Darren's marathon effort for Sarcoma

here