A TEACHER is gearing up to take part in the London Marathon next month to continue his fundraising efforts for CLIC Sargent, and to remember his late mother.

Nathan Cox, who teaches at Holsworthy Community College, started raising money for the cancer charity that supports children and young people, after the sudden death of his mother, Linda, when Nathan was 15.

Nathan, who has two brothers — Ryan and Shaun — said: “We lost our mum when we were younger, she passed away from a brain aneurysm.

“At the time we couldn’t find a charity relevant. When I was 18 I was studying for a degree and my aim was to work with young people. I still wanted to do it in memory of mum but I decided to do it for CLIC Sargent.”

This year will see Nathan run his fifth London Marathon supporting the cancer charity.

He has raised more than £4,000, adding: “My aim this year is to raise as much as I can.”

He said his training is going ‘well’, adding: “It’s difficult fitting in long runs alongside work and other commitments. Fitting in runs in our lovely British climate is challenging!”

Nathan’s other commitments include playing football for LC Phoenix — a team he helped to form around seven or eight years ago ‘to bridge the gap’ for the younger players leaving Southgate.

Linda Cox supported Southgate throughout her three sons’ playing time for the club, and the club awards a trophy in her memory ever year.

Nathan added: “Kids who used to leave Southgate at the age of 16 would often stop playing. We bridged that gap by creating our own team.”

Through his work as a PE and maths teacher at Holsworthy Community College, Nathan also hopes to get students on board with fundraising, too. He is part of the ‘Thor’ house at the college, whose chosen charity is also CLIC Sargent. Nathan hopes a few days before the marathon the students will be involved with a fundraising initiative to run a marathon relay, with funds raised going towards his grand total.

Anyone who wishes to donate to Nathan can do so by going to uk.virginmoneygiving.com, searching for Nathan Cox and clicking through to ‘Nathan’s CLIC Sargent fundraising page’. On here Nathan writes: “We all know someone affected by cancer, whether it’s within our immediate family, extended family or our friends.

“When I was 15, growing up in a tight knit family home, my mum passed away suddenly. This was such a harsh realisation as to how precious life is and has since given me a hunger to fundraise and benefit the lives of others going through such trauma. My mum didn’t pass away due to cancer, but having spent so much of my life working with young people, I felt it my duty to do my bit for CLIC Sargent.”