KEIRON White was the first to sign up for the Oxford Mail OX5 Run to support the hospital that cared for his son.

The Witney bricklayer will take on the five-mile Blenheim Palace challenge for the second year running to thank Oxford Children’s Hospital.

The hospital, at Headington’s John Radcliffe Hospital, treated nine-year-old son Finlay for bone cancer, which is now in remission.

Mr White, 41, raised £2,200 at last year’s event with wife Suzanne, who is due to give birth to their second child on the day of the Sunday, March 29 run.

He said he was so grateful to the children’s hospital staff and would continue to fundraise.

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Mr White said: “It’s for such a good cause, the children’s hospital has given Finlay so much support and care.

“If it hadn’t been for them he wouldn’t be here now. The consultants and the nurses were fantastic.

“We know quite a lot of people who use the ward at the moment and are in the same situation as we were in last year. We want to continue to help them and the staff.”

After a year of chemotherapy and an operation to remove a bone in his leg, Finlay is back walking, running and swimming.

His father said: “He’s missed swimming so much. He wasn’t able to swim because he had a Hickman line attached to him for chemotherapy and he wasn’t able to go with school. He’s now back at school and joining in – it’s fantastic.

“The baby’s due on the same day as the run otherwise I would have been trying to beat Suzanne to be the first to sign up.

“We are very keen to support the ward and the Children’s Hospital, they’ve been so good to us and we want as many people to sign up as possible.”

The event is being sponsored by Oxford recruitment firm Allen Associates for the seventh year in a row.

ON YOUR MARKS

Last year was its most successful and raised £114,000. In its history the race has raised £750,000.

The April 2008 race was postponed because of snow. A year later it welcomed Conservative leader and Witney MP as a competitor.

The Blenheim Palace run has been started by well-known figures including Jason Donovan, Raymond Blanc and the late Duke of Marlborough.

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