A MAN from Blandford is hoping to break two world records dressed in a Paddington Bear costume.

Photographer Lee Collier, 42, will be taking on the Bath Half Marathon this Sunday and the London Marathon on April 22 to raise money for children’s charity, Action Medical Research.

Dressed as the charity’s mascot Paddington Bear, Lee aims to break the records for the fastest marathon by a male mascot in each race.

Lee will need to beat the time of 1:37:03 in the Bath Half Marathon and 3:17:57 in the London Marathon.

He said: “The times I’ll have to beat are difficult, but then if it wasn’t a challenge it would be boring.

“I’ve done a few endurance events in the past – and I’ll have a couple of training runs in the suit before the Bath race to get used to the costume – so I’m ready to give it my best shot.”

Lee hopes to raise £2,000 for Action Medical Research, a charity he discovered after receiving some tragic family news in 2005.

He said: “Sadly my ex-wife and I lost our little girl back in December of that year as she was born too early and asleep.

“My world fell apart. After a few tough years I decided that I wanted to try and help others not have to go through the same experience as we did. I fancied taking on a physical challenge like a marathon and went looking for charities that I could support.

“Action is just such a wonderful charity in that it helps fund research into a wide variety of conditions. I enjoy doing my bit to help raise awareness, knowing that the more money you raise the more chances there are of future medical breakthroughs.”

Action Medical Research is a UK-wide children’s charity which funds desperately needed research to tackle the diseases that devastate the lives of so many of our children. It has been funding medical breakthroughs since it began in 1952 including helping to introduce the first polio vaccines in the UK, developing the use of ultrasound in pregnancy and testing the rubella vaccine.

To sponsor Lee, visit action.org.uk/sponsor/LeeCollierVLM2018