FRIENDS at a gym in the Yate area have raised more than £17,000 by undertaking a 15-hour workout challenge in honour of their friend who has terminal colon cancer.

Before his diagnosis, Mark Butcher was a regular at Kokoro Fitness in Iron Acton, having joined with his life-long friend, David Champion.

In November 2021, Mark started experiencing "sudden abdominal pains", which was initially thought by medics to be appendicitis.

However, a scan later revealed that Mark’s bowel was completely blocked by a cancerous tumour and the cancer had spread to his liver. 

Mark underwent a gruelling 15-hour operation last June to treat the disease - which is labelled 'the Mother of All Surgeries' by medics.

Mark’s best friend David organised a 15-hour workout challenge on Saturday, June 22 to raise money for St Peter's Hospice and Bowel Cancer UK.

The fundraiser - which was nicknamed 'The Mother of all Workouts' - was planned with individual workouts each hour to honour Mark’s endurance in surgery. 

So far, more than £17,000 has been raised plus £3,000 in gift aid.

David said: “Saturday has proved what an unbelievably amazing place the world can be when people come together for a worthy cause. 

“The outpouring of emotion and support for Mark was absolutely mind blowing and the money and awareness raised for the charities is incredible.

“Many of us struggled on the day but knowing what Mark has endured with such determination and perseverance continued to inspire us and kept us going. 

“The fact that he and his family were able to be there on the day was amazing. 

“I have to finish by saying that none of this would have been possible without the incredible Kokoro Fitness community. 

“More than 50 members took part, 18 of us did the full 15.5 hours but so many others contributed in so many different ways. 

“I feel incredibly proud to be part of this gym and I know that we all achieved something truly special on Saturday for Mark and the charities.”

You can donate to the fundraiser here - tinyurl.com/dvbymk8x