A saxophonist plans to put down his favourite instrument and pull on his running shoes to brave the London Marathon.

John Willmott, of Woodgrange Drive, Southend, hopes to take part in the event to raise £1,700 for Children with Leukaemia, after his three children brought the charity to his attention.

He said: "It really started with a child at the school where my children go, who was suffering with leukaemia. I wanted to run the marathon anyway, so I decided to run it for them."

Mr Willmott, 44, who plays saxophone for leading jazz-funk band the James Taylor Quartet, has been using his talents to raise extra funds at gigs.

Over the Christmas period, the band spent a week playing in Camden, where he rattled his collection tin to make sure the money came rolling in.

He now hopes to organise more gigs in Southend to raise more funds before taking part in the 26-mile run in April.