TWO brothers who lost a combined weight of 20 stone are looking to raise money for Cancer Research UK by running two-and-a-half marathons and hosting a black tie charity dinner.

Swindon’s Ian Kenna and his older brother Mark took the decision to shed the pounds in 2014 and having achieved this, are now looking to raise £5,000 for charity after their auntie, Mary Parsons, died from breast cancer.

“She had breast cancer previous to her passing and she had the necessary treatment but unfortunately they caught it too late,” said Ian Kenna, 36, of Luna Close, who is preparing to become a personal trainer.

“Me and my brother came together to find out what we could do and we did the Bristol 10k last year and decided to up our game.

“I’m feeling quite positive, I’m out training four times a week and it’s hard but there are people out there suffering on a day-to-day basis.

“It feels a little bit crazy but we are determined to not only finish but finish it with our heads held high.

“I think the reason I decided to lose weight was because I’d had a bit of a health scare which turned out not to be serious but it was enough to give me a right kick up the backside.

“I have a young family and took a long hard look at myself and decided enough was enough.”

As well as running a combined distance of 65.5miles, which will include the Bath Half Marathon, Brighton Marathon and London Marathon, the brothers are also preparing to hold a black tie charity dinner to help them reach their fundraising target.

To be held on April 2 from 7pm at the Village Hotel in Shaw Ridge, guests will be treated to a three-course meal and have the chance to bid on a number of items which have been donated.

“We wanted to do something alongside the running that was fun and something our extended family could join in with,” said Ian who has two children, Phoebe, five, and Daisy, two, with wife Verity.

“The support from people has been brilliant, we’ve had lots of Facebook posts and people coming forward with donations.

“We have stuff like a signed Manchester United shirt, a signed England Rugby shirt from Sir Clive Woodward, a vacuum cleaner from the James Dyson Foundation, running shoes from Running Swindon, beauty vouchers and loads more.”

To make a donation, visit https://www.justgiving.com/KennaBrothers/ or to book a ticket for the black tie charity event email kennabrothers@gmail.com