IVYBRIDGE man Nigel Webster ran the London Marathon in aid of the British Tinnitus Association, completing the 26 miles and 385 yards in four hours and 43 minutes.

Nigel said: ‘It was really good, and there were so many supporters cheering us on.

‘The last ten miles were hard but the crowds were fantastic, cheering ‘go big ears!’

‘I was wearing ‘big ears’ to draw attention to the British Tinnitus Association - which aims to build awareness around tinnitus, and also encourage young people to wear ear plugs when listening to loud music.’

Nigel suffers from tinnitus, and explained how it feels to suffer with the condition: ‘Late one evening a few years ago, I noticed a high-pitched sound in my head behind my ears - the sort I had experienced many years ago on a number of occasions when emerging from a nightclub in the early hours.

‘This sound always disappeared by the morning and I thought nothing more about it. ?‘Forty years on, now I have to live with it 24 hours a day. If I think about it, the sound becomes very loud and also it seems to be worse if I get stressed. And so the only way I cope is to occupy myself and mind on other things.’

Nigel continued: ‘There is no cure and I can imagine that for some without support it could be difficult at times to deal with.

‘Noise is all around us every day but most people can find peace and quiet somewhere sometime. However with tinnitus there is always a noise and nobody knows you suffer with it unless you tell them.

‘There are times through lack of sleep I get irritable and increasingly I find myself asking people to repeat things several times because my hearing is impaired. My concentration has been affected too by this condition and sometimes completing tasks at work can be that much harder.

‘I find it very difficult to cope with noise and crowds, and restaurants, shops and traffic can be quite stressful.

‘Running helps my physical and mental fitness and raising money to support the BTA promote better awareness for this condition gives it some purpose.

Nigel has raised £649.93 so far, and will continue fundraising to reach his target of £2,000 pledged to the BTA.

Nigel added: ‘I would like to thank those people who have donated, along with the BTA for giving me the opportunity to run and help raise awareness for this condition.’

To donate money to the British Tinnitus Association, visit Nigel’s webpage at www.justgiving.com/Nigel-Webster6.