A Buckinghamshire marathon runner is gearing up to take on London Marathon this weekend to help more disadvantaged people into exercise. 

Amersham resident Tom Dixon is marking his tenth marathon by aiming to complete the gruelling run in 2 hours and 50 minutes to raise money for the national youth charity Access Sport with support from his wife, children and colleagues. 

As a father-of-three himself, Mr Dixon believes passionately in the power of grassroots and community sport, and Sunday will see him tackle the 26.2 mile run to raise much needed cash for the life-changing sport organisation.

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Mr Dixon, who works as a director at Access Sport, said: “I am staggered every day when I go into work at Access Sport.

“The passion and dedication from staff and volunteers to making change happen for disadvantaged and disabled young people is amazing.

“The work we do with community sports clubs and volunteers to ensure barriers are tackled and that there is provision for sport makes a massive difference.

“I have trained hard for The London Marathon and will do my best, but more importantly I will raise money that will enable Access Sport to continue to deliver its vital work with grassroots sport.

“This work will become more important than ever as the cost-of-living crisis increases. We need to continue to ensure that young people are accessing sport and thriving, and Access Sport plays a key role in that.” 

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Less than half of all children and young people are currently meeting the Chief Medical Officer guidelines of taking part in sport and physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more a day, research by Sport England showed. 

Only four in 10 disabled people said they can be as active as they want to be, Activity Alliance’s annual survey found.

Mr Dixon’s marathon efforts contribute towards Access Sport’s fundraising goal of £2,000,000 for this year, and he is encouraging others to take on an active challenge for the charity’s #ChallengeAccessSport social media campaign.

The fundraiser can be found here.