Committed marathon competitor, Tom Dixon, aged 36, is running in the 2016 London Marathon and raising all important funds for disability charities Mobility Choice and Scope.

UK charity Mobility Choice was established in 1998 and focuses on advancing independent mobility for people with disabilities and older people. It is responsible for organising the annual Mobility Roadshow and similar events, establishing advice and guidance centres and overseeing specialist driving programmes for disabled and older people. Scope is a charity that focuses on driving change across society – so that disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Tom, who lives in Amersham, South Buckinghamshire, competed in his first London Marathon in 2000, aged 20. At the time he was raising money for breast cancer research following the death of his Grandmother from the disease. The Dublin and Edinburgh Marathons followed in 2002 and 2003 before Tom headed to New York in 2008. He comments, “Running the New York Marathon was an incredible experience – I loved the atmosphere and culture and I met some amazing people. It was also a great way to see the city!”

Since then, Tom has completed the 2010 London Marathon as well as a couple of Ultra Marathons with a distance of over 50kms which he says “were tough, especially the hilly one on Dartmoor!”. In 2008, Tom began using marathon competitions as a way of fund raising for disability charities. He had just begun working for Scope having been inspired to do so by his aunt, previously a Director of Scope in Wales.

Tom elaborates, “Before she retired, my aunt was a tireless disability campaigner who worked in Europe and the UK promoting disability rights. At the age of 33, she had a stroke which left her with impaired movement down her right side. She has been an inspiration to me in many ways and I wanted to work with like-minded people. I have been raising funds for Scope since joining the charity. It’s an incredible cause – changing society’s attitudes towards disabled people makes a huge difference.”

In 2013, Tom joined Mobility Choice as a trustee. He has been able to use his knowledge of disability fundraising to support the charity and The Mobility Roadshow – an annual mobility event for people with disabilities organised by Mobility Choice.

Tom explains, “The Mobility Roadshow is a fantastic event giving people with disabilities the opportunity to try accessible equipment, test drive adapted vehicles and enhance their own independence and mobility requirements. I would love as many people as possible to continue to benefit from this annual event. That’s why I would like to raise as much money as possible when I run the London Marathon in April.”

Tom has trained hard across the winter months with the Chiltern Harriers, competing in club cross country competitions and testing his limits. He is aiming for a personal best time of just under 3 hours in the London Marathon and hoping he can inspire people to support him with donations to Mobility Choice and Scope.

To help Tom Dixon raise funds for Mobility Choice and Scope: https://www.justgiving.com/Thomas-Dixon8

For more information on Mobility Choice and The Mobility Roadshow 2016 (Silverstone, Northants, 26^th - 28^th May): www.themobilityroadshow.co.uk

For information on Scope: www.scope.org.uk