A BLOCKLEY man whose wife suffered a stroke two years ago is running a marathon for the charity that got her back on her feet.

Nik Sandars, who lost two stone during his training, is running the Liverpool Marathon on Sunday to raise money for the Stroke Association.

The 55-year-old, who is a sales director at glass film manufacturer Bonwyke, was not a regular runner before he started his training and has gone from couch to marathon in just 18 weeks with the help of a personal trainer.

His wife Sue suffered a stroke in July 2010 at the age of 48 which left her paralysed down one side.

Since then Mr Sanders vowed to support the charity and has already raised about £2,000 by doing an abseil at Twickenham stadium.

“I made a promise to do something every two years,” he said.

“I’ve been learning how to run a marathon which is a challenge in itself.

“Sue’s been keeping me going. She remained very positive through all of this – if she can do it I can do it.

“It’s easy to give up but you have to focus on the end result.

“She’s a real soulmate.

I’ve known her for 17 years and we’re closer now than we were before the stroke.”

The couple’s 15-yearold son, Ed, who goes to Chipping Campden School, has raised £500 and will be running the Wirral 10k on the same day. For details or to donate visit justgiving.com/EdSandars or http://81.19.63.6/NIKSANDARS1