A BIRCH Hill man who confessed he’s "not a runner" will tackle the London Marathon this April in a bid to raise cash in aims of raising money for a school that has who have helped support his autistic son.

Andy Mason will take on the 26.2 mile route in hope of raising more than £2,000 for the Friends of Kennel Lane School, the fundraising arm run by parents of pupils at Kennel Lane School, as he says the school has helped his eight-year-old son Isaac come out of his shell.

Half of the money will go to the school, and the other half will be donated to the National Autistic Society.

Mr Mason, who works for a software company, said: “I’m not a runner or someone who goes out exercising.

"I have the gym membership sitting there for a year that’s only used a few times but training is going really well. I’m following the plan to get the miles up each week.

“The inspiration for me to sign up was when I went to watch a friend run who was raising money for cancer research after losing her mother, I was so inspired by her running, I foolishly got caught up in the moment and so did everyone else and I was the only one who got through the ballot.

“That’s when I thought ‘right, I’ve got the chance to make the most of this’. I want to give back to the people who have helped me and Isaac.

“The school does so much for him, just seeing how Isaac has progressed. Now he’s communicating and he is responding, he’s so much better and I don’t think he would have developed as far as this were if not for the school.”

Isaac was diagnosed as being on the Autistic spectrum aged just three and will be there to cheer his dad across the finish line on April 24.

To support Andy’s marathon attempt visit his fundraising page here.