A North Yorkshire man has helped raise more than £20,000 for a Knaresborough disability charity by competing in the recent London Marathon.

Will Cotton, 20, followed in father Simon Cotton’s footsteps, who took part in the iconic event in 2012, and beat his hotelier father by 25 minutes.

Will, who lives in Harrogate, says he has long wanted to compete in the London Marathon helped by his dad, who describes fundraising for Henshaws that day as “one of his best personal life achievements.”

Will lined up with 60,000 other hopefuls last Sunday and completed the 26 mile course in 3 hours 56 minutes and 29 seconds.

He personally raised £6,750 for Knaresborough-based Henshaws, who had six other runners fundraising for them, raising more than £20,000 overall.

Will added: “My Mum and Dad have been brilliant in getting their friends and business contacts to back me in my efforts so I’m very grateful to them and everyone who has helped achieve such an amazing total”.

Henshaws supports people living with sight loss and other disabilities to lead fulfilling lives.

Gemma Young, Fundraising Manager at Henshaws said, “Our support, advice and training enables people and their families to build skills, develop confidence, help each other and look forward to a more positive future.  We can’t thank Will Cotton enough for his fantastic support and for raising so much money for us; and at such a young age, he’s truly an inspirational young man”. 

If you would like to donate, go to https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/will-cotton