A 44-year-old father took on a double marathon to raise money for charity in memory of his mum.

Rick Somerset-Williams, from Beaconsfield, sadly lost his mum Cherith Williams in 2013 when she was 69, after she was diagnosed with dementia three years previously.

Since her death, Mr Somerset-Williams has been fundraising for Alzheimer’s Research UK and has completed five marathons, including the London Marathon last year.

He took on the epic double marathon last month, which saw him battle through 54 miles of the Cotswold Hills and despite its difficulty, said he was already looking forward to his next challenge which he hopes to complete before the end of the year.

The father-of-two said: “I chose to fundraise for Alzheimer’s Research UK because my mum was diagnosed with dementia in 2010, just four months after finally becoming a grandma to our twins, Isabella and Charlie.

“It was quite an aggressive form of dementia she had and as a family we watched her health deteriorate rapidly over a short period of time.

“Mum's ability to string sentences together or recognise loved ones was taken from her. My dad, Gordon, became her full-time carer overnight and had to do absolutely everything for her.

“We made the very difficult decision to put Mum into a specialist dementia care home in August 2014 after she spent a number of weeks in hospital following a bad fall. Just a few weeks later, aged only 69, Mum passed away from a complication due to the condition.”

More than 900 runners took part in the double marathon, with 328 of them, including Mr Somerset-Williams, deciding to run the full distance non-stop.

Speaking about the challenge, he said: “Running on your own for such long distances is hard and I went through some really tough periods, but knowing who I was running for pulled me through.”

He finished in 59th place, completing the mammoth run in 11 hours and 59 minutes with his children by his side, and has raised more than £1,700 for the charity, smashing his £1,000 target.

He added: “Crossing the line hand in hand with my twins was a very emotional moment.

“There are simply no words to describe just how horrific this illness is but I hope the money I raise will give hope to future generations.”

Kenneth Foreman, sporting events manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Dedicated supporters like Rick are helping to get us one step closer to finding more treatments to fight this terrible condition. We can’t thank Rick enough for his fundraising.”

To donate, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Rick-Somerset-Williams2.