A STRATTON dad who runs in a tutu is the new face of a bowel cancer charity campaign.

Stuart Cock was diagnosed with bowel cancer in March 2017, when he was just 42-years-old. Surgeons removed part of his colon and chemotherapy helped kill off the tumour.

Now 44, the father-of-four has raised thousands of pounds for charity Bowel Cancer UK. Later this month, he will the take on the London Marathon in aid of the charity – dressed in the tutu he now wears on all his training runs.

Stuart said the charity’s ambition to find a cure to bowel cancer by 2050 had struck a chord with him.

“In 2050 my eldest daughter will be the same age as I was when I was diagnosed. I want my kids to grow up in a world where no one is dying of bowel cancer. This is the first step in that journey,” he said.

Swindon Advertiser:

Stuart Cock, pictured last year

The car designer was asked to take part in Bowel Cancer UK’s latest campaign, a series of portraits by photographer Sophie Mayanne of those whose life has been affected by the disease.

The portraits were commissioned to mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which runs throughout April.

Stuart said: “As a dad to four I know that because of my diagnosis, my kids are at a slightly higher risk than the rest of the population of developing this disease. So as a father I want to do everything I can to raise awareness.”

Last year, he wrote a list of fundraising challenges, called 43 Not Out, aimed at raising cash for Bowel Cancer UK. The list included everything from a 27-mile walk from Avebury to Stonehenge and milking a cow to going sugar-free for a month and running a half marathon.

As well as raising money to help fight cancer, Stuart also wants to raise awareness of the condition. He told the Advertiser last year: “Bowel cancer in days gone by was associated with older people. But statistics show it is growing problem in the younger population. It is the second biggest cancer killer – more than breast cancer or prostate cancer. We hear a lot about those, but I knew nothing about bowel cancer.

“I want to help educate people about the symptoms. If you catch it at stage one, there is a 97 per cent survival rate after five years. If it’s caught at stage five, it’s only a five per cent survival rate.”

Symptoms of the condition include bleeding from one’s bottom, blood in faeces, changing bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, tiredness or stomach pains.