GREAT North Run stalwart Alex Davidson is looking to take part in the half-marathon for an extraordinary 34th time in September.

Alex, 74, from Holmes Chapel, will be one of 18 members of Team Robster taking on the world’s biggest half marathon to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Middlewich farmer Robert Williams.

The father of three died on January 2 at the age of 44, 15 months on from being diagnosed with an inoperable and incurable brain tumour.

The support given by the charity to Robert, his wife Sarah and their children inspired the creation of Team Robster, which has raised £34,000 for the charity since 2018, including £20,000 from the team’s entry in last year’s Great North Run.

Sarah is to lead the team looking to take part in the 2020 event, which includes 10 people from the Holmes Chapel area, including Alex, who entered the run for Barnardo’s and later The Christie, until last year, when he was part of Team Robster.

“There is a terrific atmosphere at The Great North Run, and the crowds support you every inch of the way,” said Alex, who has also taken part in the London Marathon three times.

Last year’s Great North Run was a painful experience for Alex after he damaged his Achilles at the two-mile stage, but he was determined to finish, and hobbled round the rest of the course.

Sarah said: “Until the summer of 2018 Rob was a strong, fit and healthy dairy farmer, and very rarely needed a GP.

“An MRI scan showed shadowing on the brain, and within a week he was admitted for brain surgery to obtain a biopsy.

“The subsequent diagnosis was a deep brain Glioblastoma, a grade 4 tumour that is incurable and inoperable.”

In Robert's memory fundraising will continue throughout 2020, including another team in the Great North Run and the Annual Robster Walk.

Sarah thanked everyone for helping to raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity, and to keep in touch with events search ‘Team Robster on Facebook.

If you would like to support the runners on in their Great North Run challenge visit justgiving.com/fundraising/alexdavidson2020 and justgiving.com/fundraising/sarahwilliams1763

The Great North Run is currently scheduled to go ahead as planned, although organisers are closely monitoring the situation with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Brain Tumour Charity said on its website: "It's shocking that whilst survival has doubled across all cancers, survival rates for those with brain tumours have improved little in over 40 years."