A TAVISTOCK athlete is appealing for sponsorship on behalf of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Ben Neale is aiming to raise more than £2,000 in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon on April 22.

The charity he is running for is one which has a special meaning to Ben.

'It is the second time I have attempted the marathon, despite vowing never to do it again I am dusting off my trainers for a cause close to my heart.

'My mum was diagonsed with breast cancer in August and has just finished her course of treatment. Thanks to advancements in treatments and technology with money used from this charity they are able to detect and eliminate forms of breast cancer much earlier.'

In between a lot of training I will be holding a number of fundraising events including quizes, charity horse rides and a cricket game, so please come along and get involved and help support a great cause. His training is going well having completed the Peter Tavy Plod (where he was fifth), the Tavy 7 (fifth) and the Great South Run in a personal best of 1 hour and 48 sec (102nd overall out of 24,000). He is now looking forward to the Reading half marathon (April 1) before attempting the marathon.

Ben is appealing for anyone who would like to back him to go to http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/runben">www.virginmoneygiving.com/runben

He added: 'Thanks for your support and keep visiting the page for updates on training.'