A MUSICIAN from Scarborough is set to take on the London Marathon to raise funds to support guide dogs.

Connor Lalor will run the prestigious race in aid of Guide Dogs – a charity supporting 360,000 people who are are registered blind or partially sighted.

The charity works to breed and train guide dogs for blind people, allowing them more freedom and mobility.

Connor said: “The charity carries out some really amazing work but it doesn’t have huge exposure like the larger, well-known charities, and that is why I have chosen to run for them.

“I have got to know more about guide dogs and the more I learn about their amazing efforts, the more I want to do as much as I can to help.

"My fundraising will help adapt and develop new services as they are needed.”

This is the first time Connor has entered the London Marathon and said he is very excited about the race.

“I first heard that I was accepted to run after coming back from holiday, the holiday was the reason I wanted to do my bit,” he said.

Connor recently went back packing in Mexico and while he was there saw a horrible sight: “I was driving along and at the side of the road I saw abandoned dogs just left and if I could I would have taken the dogs back home with me, it was such a shocking sight to see, as an animal lover and Dog owner myself that I really wanted to do something to help," he said.

“While I couldn’t directly help those strays, I figured that supporting a charity with good morals and who care for the dogs welfare, was one of way of doing my bit.”

As well as performing in Scarborough and the surrounding areas, Connor is now spending his time in the gym and getting into shape training for the marathon.

Training has included trail endurance runs, and shorter faster runs to instil varied training to cope with the marathon’s harsh conditions.

He aims to raise his target of £2,000. Connor said:” I have already raised over £450 which is amazing; people are very generous in helping”

To donate to Connor and follow his training progress ahead of the London Marathon, visit his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/connorlawlor

Writing on his justGiving page, Connor added: “As someone who generally prefers dogs to most humans, this is a very important fact for me.

“Let's support a charity whose morals and values are in keeping with our own, whilst providing some of the world's best care and help to those who need it the most.”