HUNDREDS of runners joined tireless fundraiser Steve Davies this morning for a 5k run in support of his goal to raise £20,000 for charity.

Today was Steve’s fourth charity event this year, which saw over 200 runners pound the streets of Whitley in spite of the gloomy weather for a worthy cause.

Steve is gearing up to run three marathons in the space of three weeks to raise the huge amount of money for Great Ormand Street Hospital.

The 37 year-old from Whiteley will be running the Paris Marathon on April 8, the Brighton Marathon, April 15 and the London Marathon, April 22 to raise the funds for GOSH.

It will be Steve’s fourth time running the London Marathon in support of various charities.

He ran his first marathon in 2012 for cancer charity, McMillan where he raised £7,000. He later ran in 2014 to raise money for Tommy’s charity, a charity funding research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage, and providing information for parents-to-be, raising £9,000.

In 2016, Steve ran to raise money for GOSH after seeing the “amazing” work of staff on a personal visit to the hospital.

He raised £10,000 and was glad to have raised enough money through crowdfunding to fund a friend’s home conversion so that their disabled son could benefit from wheelchair access.

Steve said: “I came up with the idea of running three marathons this year to raise twice the amount of money raised in 2016.”

Through the help of social media, he recruited 200 other local runners to participate, with the idea that everyone who turned up on the day would make a donation before the run.

He said: “Great Ormand Street Hospital is a phenomenal place. I feel lucky just to have visited it.

“It makes you realise how lucky you are and how fragile life is. There are very sick children there but it doesn’t feel like a hospital at all.

“I am very proud to be representing the charity, it’s not a painful experience at all. Quite the opposite actually.”

Laura Savory, Head of Community Fundraising at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said: “We’re so grateful to Steven for his generosity and support. The money raised will help to make a difference to seriously ill children from across the UK.”

To help Steve reach his target, donate using the link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ohmygoshmarathonchallenge