A MARATHON man is taking on some capital punishment this weekend in aid of Ardgowan Hospice.

Callum Robb from Glen Douglas Road in Overton is preparing to take on the leg busting 26.2 mile Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday.

The 40-year-old, who works for Inverclyde Leisure at Battery Park and coaches with Morton's youth academy, said was inspired to raise money for Ardgowan after the care his mum Liz Robb and his late uncle Jackie Mitchell received at the facility.

Callum said: "I have said for years that I wanted to run a marathon.

"I thought it would be great if at the same time I could raise some money for a worthy cause.

"The hospice provides not only physical and medical support, but also important practical, emotional and social help to patients diagnosed with a life-limiting illness as well as their families and carers.

"My uncle Jackie and more recently my mum have both been cared for here.

"It opened my eyes to how valuable the work that they do is to the local community."

Callum says he will be eternally grateful for the care his late uncle Jackie Mitchell received at the hospice before he passed away.

Back in 2016, his mum Liz Robb, a former nurse, was also looked after at the hospice before her leg was amputated.

She has since made a full recovery.

He said: "My mum had vasculitis - basically her leg was dying.

"They took her in to the hospice to try and control her pain as it was out of control.

"They were magic - they got her through it until she had an operation to take her leg off.

"Since then she is back to the same person she was.

"I always thought that once you're in the hospice, they take care of you until you pass away.

"I wasn't too aware of all the things they do so it was a bit of an eye opener."

Callum, who tied the knot with his wife Gwen at Seamill Hydro last year, is keen to raise £1,000 for the hospice.

Anyone who would like to donate to his fund can do so online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/callumrobb-2019edinburghmarathon480