A Swindon man who ran the London Marathon in aid of Brain Research UK has seen his fundraising effort boosted by a housebuilder’s charity fund.

Josh Goldsworthy scooped an extra £1,000 towards his £5,000 target thanks to the Persimmon Homes Community Champions initiative.

The scheme from the housebuilding company aims to support thousands of community groups and charities across the UK.

Josh completed the London Marathon in honour of his mother-in-law Trudy Fugito who sadly passed away last year from Glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, aged just 58.

He said: “Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Persimmon Homes for this generous donation, it really gave me the extra motivation I needed to get over the line.

“The last few years have been really difficult for me and my family. From the moment Trudy was diagnosed the news completely turned our world upside down because this disease has an average life expectancy of just eight months.

“I have seen first-hand what this cancer can do to somebody who was full of life and was the most wonderful human being you will ever meet.

“What’s worse still is the devastation that this illness has on families and friends around those who have been lost in the battle against it.

“I’ve been raising money in Trudy’s name for the charity Brain Research UK, which will go towards new treatments and cures for a disease that has had no new developments for over 50 years.

“Hopefully one day other families don’t have to watch their loved ones suffer like I did.”

Pauline Fletcher, sales director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said: “The application we received from Josh was really moving and I knew straight away that we had to help him reach his target.

“Running the London Marathon is hard enough but to do it off the back of such a difficult period in his life is really inspiring.

“Hopefully Trudy’s story will educate more people around the seriousness of neurological conditions and the importance of additional funding to try and find a cure.”