A man who overcame a little known skin disease is now set to run a marathon to raise money towards a cure.

Tom Joy,of Seven Kings, is running the London Marathon to raise money for skin disease research.

The 22 year-old decided to support the British Skin Foundation after being diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) in his final year of university.

HSP is an inflaming of bloodvessels that can lead to a number of serious health issues.

Tom said: “Whilst I only have a couple of scars to show my distressing encounter with Henoch-Schönlein purpura, many people are not so fortunate and will suffer with skin conditions like this for many years.”

The brave runner has now pledged to raise £2,700 for skin disease research “to help improve the lives of others”.

You can support Tom by donating at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tom-Joy-vmlm#