A brain haemorrhage survivor whose plans to run last year’s Greater Manchester Marathon were thwarted by a road accident completed this year’s event thanks to the inspiration of his friend’s brave son.

Mark Golding, from Tonge Moor, put his previous ill health and bad luck behind him to finish his first ever marathon in just over four hours more than £500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He chose to run for the cancer charity as he had been ‘hit hard’ by the loss of his auntie, Eileen McCabe, to the disease and several of his family and friends have also battled the condition.

The 43-year-old roofer was forced to pull out of last year’s marathon after he was knocked off his bike in Little Lever two weeks before the event, breaking six ribs as well as his chest bone and clavicle.

Mr Golding also lost his father in February of this year after only recently being reunited with him and he admits he was close to throwing in the towel after his run of misfortune.

But he was inspired to complete the challenge he first set himself ten years ago by the brave cancer battle of his friend’s one-year-old son.

Mr Golding, who lost his father in February a said: “I was on the brink of just giving up on it but because people had given money to my Just Giving page I felt I had to finish what I started.”

“My friends Danny and Leanne Waring, their little son Ted, is 13-months-old and has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, but still to this day a little fighter.

“He’s back in hospital, in an ITU unit, his family have had a nightmare,but he was my inspiration for running on Sunday. I had a picture of him on my Macmillan T-shirt.

“I thought if he can go through what he was in the 19 months he has been alive and still have a smile on his face that gives me the motivation to complete this marathon. I thought ‘if you can go through what you’re going through you can help me through this.”

And it seems he was right to count on Ted’s inspiration, as he smashed the time he set in training by 27 minutes, finishing the course in four hours and seven seconds.

“It was a real experience,” said Mark. “And it’s egged me on now to do more for charity. It was absolutely fantastic.”

Mr Golding, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2009 and tragically also lost his friend Simon Sheridan, also from Bolton, to the same condition on New Year’s Eve 2015.

He now hopes to run another marathon in aid of the head injury charity Headway before the end of September in memory of Mr Sheridan.

Mr Golding’s Just Giving page has now closed for donations, but for more information on Macmillan Cancer support visit macmillan.org.uk