Vet Jamie Whittle is aiming for his best time yet as he takes on the London Marathon this weekend – and is also hoping to raise as much as he can for children’s hospice care.

Mr Whittle, 37, who with his wife Amy owns Whitworth Veterinary Practice in Trimley St Mary, will be trying to break the three-hour barrier, which would put him less than an hour from the fastest time ever.

His previous marathons have been at Paris, Amsterdam and Greater Manchester, where he completed the 26.2-mile course in three hours two minutes.

He has now been awarded a place in the London Marathon on Sunday based on his “good for age” time and will be near the front of the pack as the race starts.

Mr Whittle said: “The ‘good for age’ runners will be starting from a separate cordon next to the celebrities.

“I am really looking forward to it.

“Every marathon is a fresh challenge and each one is very different – I am hoping to get under three hours, which would be brilliant for me personally.

“I have been training since around Christmas time and building up to 22 miles and then just keeping fit and running regularly.”

Mr Whittle, who has a daughter Hazel, 10, and son Tristram, eight, is raising money for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).

He said: “I have supported them in the past and I think they do fantastic work with young people and their families at a very difficult time in their lives.”