We couldn’t be more proud of our trainee funeral director James. Not only is he working full time in our funeral homes in Inverness and Dingwall, and studying in the evenings and at weekends for his embalming exams (they are not easy) but he’s also putting in a massive amount of training in advance of the Inverness Half Marathon!

James started running last summer when we persuaded him to take part in the River Ness 10K as part of Team John Fraser and Son, raising funds for Bowel Cancer UK. But he must have caught the bug, because he is still pounding the pavements.

James will be completing the full 13.1 miles of the half marathon on Sunday 12^th of March in honour of his late Grandfather, who died after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. His aim is to raise much-needed funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK, who support people with the diagnosis, finance research to bring forward early detection, and work towards better treatment and care for patients.

James also hopes to use his run to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. Known as one of the less survivable cancers, many people are unaware of its symptoms, which include indigestion, pain in your tummy or back, changes to your poo, losing weight without meaning to, and jaundice.

If you are able to support James with his fundraising, we’d love for you to make a donation through his JustGiving page here.

And if you’d like to understand more about Pancreatic Cancer and its symptoms, and the work that the charity do, there is a link to their website here.

We are proud of the commitment James has shown, and wish him all the best with the remainder of his training – we also wish him, and all the other half marathon runners, fair weather and tail winds for the whole route.

If you’re taking part or spectating on 12^th March and see James in his bright purple Pancreatic Cancer UK shirt, give him a shout or a pat on the back. We know he’ll be thinking of his Grandad on the way round, but your support will help his weary legs too.