AFTER years of disease which has devastated his life, Martin Jacobs is determined to do all he can to help other vulnerable people.

The 70-year-old has faced a string of illness over the past decade, leaving him blind, wheelchair bound and battling cancer.

He had to give up his job managing a pub with his wife Linda, 51, when he turned blind almost overnight in 2004, and now says he wants to help others.

In October he completed the Great South Run in two hours and 41 minutes, raising more than £2,500 for children's cancer charity Clic Sergeant.

Now the Winchester resident is training for the Paris Marathon in April and hopes to raise just as much.

“My trainer Lydia Lockhart was my guide in a wheelchair,” he said.

“I got 11 people doing it with me. It was great, it was a brilliant day. The support I had was absolutely fantastic. I want to thank all my friends, family and local businesses that supported me.”

The grandfather of 15 said he lost one of his five daughters to motor neurone disease in 2009.

He said: “That is my main incentive. Children and grandchildren are the biggest joy of my life so anything to do with cancer in children is very important to me. That's why I put my body through anything to raise money for that cause.

“I want to leave a legacy for our grandchildren.”

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He has been in remission from malignant cancer of the tongue for almost two years. He trains every day at home and once a week at River Park Leisure Centre with Ms Lockhart, who says he is “amazing”.

“He is very keen,” she said.

“He works himself very hard. I have to hold him back rather than train him. There's lots of barriers against him, he's in a wheelchair, blind, has osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has had cancer.

“Despite all that it just shows that if you are keen to do it, you can. He is an amazing man.”

Mr Jacobs said he will soon circulate details of how to sponsor him for the Paris Marathon.