A DORCHESTER man will be pounding the streets of New York to raise funds for a charity close to his heart.

Gus McKechnie, 34, is undertaking the gruelling marathon challenge for a fourth time in November, in memory of his mum, dad and brother.

All proceeds will be going to the Show Them You Care campaign, which was launched by the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust and the Dorset Echo earlier this year to fund a community nurse for a year.

Gus said: “I lost my mum, Judy, two years ago this month.

“She was 74, and she died from a heart attack caused by cancer.

“My mum had ovarian cancer but it spread around her lungs and heart. She had been ill for about a year before she was diagnosed on September 1, 2007 – on my birthday.

“We had support from Weldmar’s community nurses at home, that’s why I thought an ‘at home’ project would be quite appropriate to support.”

He added: “I’ve done a lot of fundraising for a lot of different charities, including £6,000 to the Ellen McCarthur Trust.

“I’ve raised money through marathon running, cycling and rowing on top of the Red Funnel Ferry. I started doing stuff in memory of my dad and brother and then just kept going.”

Gus’s brother Andrew died aged 36 of a genetic condition haemo-chromatosis - an iron overload disorder - in 2003 and his dad, Ian, passed away shortly afterwards.

Ian was a helicopter pilot who was awarded an MBE in 1974 for his role in a Nato force evacuation of refugees during the Cyprus crisis.

Although Gus suffers the same condition as his brother he said it is ‘under control’ and he wants to put all his energy into fundraising for worthwhile charities.

The marathon will take place on November 1, with many of the world’s greatest runners competing through the streets of New York.

Gus’s latest fundraising challenge follows a 24,901-mile bike ride he completed earlier this year on a stationary turbo trainer cycling machine on top of the Red Funnel ferry as it travelled from Southampton to the Isle of Wight.

The money was split between a number of charities, including the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust and various leukaemia and cancer charities.

To sponsor Gus, visit www.justgiving.com/weldmarnurse