THE mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan, his regiment’s brigadier, a Warrington soldier and two Wolves players all lined up for a marathon charity effort.

They were all at the Town Hall which acted as the starting line for the first Mercian Marathon which took place on Sunday to raise money for the Merican Benevolent Fund.

The marathon was the idea of Warrington soldier Amir Unsworth, who is an Army physical trainer with the Mercian Regiment, after seeing a number of soldiers in his group being killed on tour in Afghanistan and many other left with major injuries.

He was joined by a host of famous faces for stretches of the run including Chris Riley and Mickey Higham as well as Angela Horn, whose son Tom Sephton died while serving with the regiment.

He was wounded in an explosion while on patrol in Helmand province and subsequently died at the Queen Elizabeth forces’ hospital in Birmingham in July.

Phil Unsworth, Amir’s dad, said: “It all went unbelievably well. The support along the route was brilliant, there were people coming out of their houses and giving money, people jumping out of cars asking where they could donate.

“Places like Moore where we did not expect people to turn out yet there were crowds of people outside waiting to support us.”

Amir and Brigadier John Donnelly completed the run in three hours and 50 minutes, arriving at Chester Town Hall at 2pm with the support of their team and Cheshire Police officers including two police outriders.

So far they have managed to raise more than £16,000 for the fund through online sponsors and donations on the day, but it doesn’t end there.

Phil added: “It’s not over, we are not just stopping raising the funds now. The public perception when the news crews pack up and go home it’s now over. We now have run the marathon but it doesn’t mean the need for help is no longer there.

“Even before the start the brigadier was saying I have been thinking about next year’s event. He has been really enthusiastic which makes all the difference.”

If you would like to donate money towards the fund visit justgiving.com/mercianmarathon