A FATHER from Winsford has pushed himself to the limit by taking on a half marathon to raise funds for his son’s football team to buy a defibrillator.

Mark Herbert approached the Woodford Under 15’s football team in May with plans to run the Chester half marathon to raise funding for a life-saving piece of equipment.

Mark said: “Ever since Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest whilst on the pitch, back in 2012, having access to a defibrillator has become more and more important and has always been at the front of my mind.

To achieve this, he set up a fundraising page online, raising more than £720 towards the goal of purchasing the defibrillator.

He added: “We all want our children to be safe whilst taking part in sporting activities such as football and I think this would benefit our football community, players as well as parents, as there are numerous matches being played at any one time.”

More than 40 people donated to Mark’s cause with an initial target of just £500, and the club have said that the extra £228 raised will be used to restock their much-needed medical supplies.

The club have also said that the total raised will hopefully be match-funded by Barclays Bank to purchase a second defibrillator for other Woodford football teams.