Tom O’Neill has more reason than most to attempt his first ever half marathon at the Great North Run next weekend.

Tom, 49, of Derwent Avenue, Maryport, will be running in memory of a friend and colleague killed on the M6 this year.

He will run in the North East half marathon on September 11 for the British Red Cross with which he has volunteered for 24 years.

But most of all, he will run because he can after losing more than six stones in weight.

Formerly a Royal Military Police sergeant, Tom served in Northern Ireland, the Falklands and Germany as well as the UK.

After he retired, he met his Maryport wife, Christine, and the couple have lived here for nearly 20 years.

Now a traffic officer patrolling the M6 for Highways England, he said following retirement from the military he was less active and the weight just gradually crept up.

He said: “I used to fool myself into thinking I looked okay and got on with life until I joined Highways and spent a lot of time being inactive between incidents.”

He said he eventually topped 23 stones and decided he needed to do something. He joined Slimming World in Maryport, having already lost a stone-and-a-half on his own.

He added: “It was daunting walking through the door on the first day but I was made very welcome and have found that I can enjoy the plan even with my varied shifts.”

He said he has never run a half marathon before but has been training hard.

“I have now run eight miles. But I have also been doing a lot of training in the gym,” he said.

While his weight has prompted the decision to run the race, he said he also wanted to dedicate to his friend and colleague, Adam Gibb, 51, of Penrith.

Adam was killed in February while attending an incident on the M6 when he was hit by another car. Another colleague was injured and is in a wheelchair.

Tom is no stranger to the Great North Run as he has been involved as a Red Cross volunteer. He has arthritis in a knee and constantly took pain killers, but said even his knee has improved and he is ready to go.