A Suffolk fundraiser is taking his hobby to the next level for charity.

Andy Jolliffe will be limbering up his fingers and thumbs for a 24-hour gaming marathon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support later this month.

The 29-year-old plans to play video games all day to raise money for the cause – stopping only to answer the call of nature.

Mr Jolliffe, who has lived with joint pain since childhood and is unable to take part in a conventional marathon, decided to instead take on a virtual round-the-clock challenge.

“I haven’t got a lot of mobility in my right hip so wouldn’t be able to run such a long distance,” he said.

“I saw that Macmillan ran its own ‘Game Changers’ scheme and thought it was a great idea.

“I know the good they do, and I like that they offer support not only to the sufferer, but also to the people around them affected by cancer.”

The father-of-one, who lives with his partner and five-year-old son near Woodbridge, will be playing a choice of sports and role-playing games on the Xbox and PlayStation from 8pm on January 21 to 8pm the following day – posting much of his progress online.

“The only time I’ll pause will be for comfort breaks,” he promised. “I’ll be otherwise carrying straight on through, eating things that don’t need to be cooked.”

Mr Jolliffe aims to raise at least £300 for the cause and is already beyond halfway to achieving his target.

He will be uploading pictures to Twitter and live-streaming via twitch.tv/andysgameathon.

“I think it will be quite a challenge. Playing games all day might sound great, but I’ll probably struggle to stay up – that’s why I’m starting in the evening, so I don’t falter during the early hours.

“I’ll try to stick with food that keeps me alert – lots of protein and water. If I go down the sugary route, I might crash pretty quickly.

“I explained what I’d be doing to my son and he looked at me with some bewilderment – but I’m sure he’ll be egging me on.”

You can sponsor Mr Jolliffe by texting ITFC86 followed by a donation of up to £10 to 70070, or by visiting justgiving.com/andysgameathon.