RUNNING in the London Marathon and organising a skateboard competition are two fairly different ways to raise money for charity.

Yet Okehampton resident Will Harrison has decided to combine the two to help raise as much money as possible for the Alzheimer's Society.

The skate competition, which combined scooters and skateboards at the indoor skate park in Launceston, helped Will raise more than £300 for the charity.

Will said: 'It was a great evening, everyone had fun and we raised hundreds of pounds for the charity!

'I'd like to thank everyone at the Unit Skate Park for organising the food van and letting us have their park for the evening.

'I was hoping for £100, so I was incredibly pleased at everyone's generosity!'

Now Will takes on the massive challenge of tackling the 26-mile route through London's streets this Sunday, alongside thousands of other fun-runners.

He said: 'I am really excited about the marathon now.

'I have chosen to run the marathon for the Alzherimer's Society as my gran is suffering from the disease, and our family have seen first-hand how it affects individuals and their families.'

'I completed my last big training run on the Saturday just gone where I ran 20 miles up the Tarka trail.

'This is my longest run so far and I hadn't been looking forward to it, but it went really well and has given me the confidence I need to complete the marathon.

'I am running with a friend and we are hoping — with fingers crossed — to do it in under four hours, which will be a massive achievement for both of us. '