A former Great Britain rower is preparing to take on the gruelling 26-mile London Marathon.

Jon Foster, 28 from Morden, was a member of the Great Britain under-23 rowing team and helped his team to victory in the Henley Royal Regatta in 2005.

He will be raising money for Sense, the national deafblind charity, after he took on the role of campaigns officer with the charity last year.

He said: “Working for Sense, I know the great work the charity does and meeting some of the parents and children that Sense supports made me want to get involved with fundraising”.

As part of his training Mr Foster runs from Morden to Wimbledon, around the Common or to Putney and back five days a week.

Despite a recent knee injury Mr Foster is hoping to complete the marathon in less than 4 hours and raise £1,500.

Mr Foster’s dad, who is an artist, has donated a painting as part of a charity raffle to raise money.

Anyone who donates £5 will automatically be entered into the raffle.

For more information and to donate visit justgiving.com/Jon-Foster1.