A TROON man is running the London marathon this week to raise funds for Glasgow’s hospital for sick children after his daughter was treated for a rare eye condition at the facility.

Paul Murray, 39, will participate in the mammoth 26 mile run in aid of the hospital that provided care for his five-year-old daughter Orla.

The police sergeant has run marathons before with his last coming six years ago when he took on Rome.

But this time he is looking to raise money for a good cause after doctors at the facility identified an eye problem when Orla was just three years old.

Paul told the Ayr Advertiser Series: “The staff in there are out of this world. They never fail to put a smile on the faces of all the sick children. The nurses and doctors are a credit to their profession.”

“She had an eye operation when she was a very young child and stayed overnight. We’ve had to go for follow-up appointments since then.

“The ophthalmologist up there identified the problem before her eye had fully developed, if they never caught it in time, she could have gone blind in one eye. They have been brilliant.

“Its amazing how professional all the staff are with kids. When you go up to the hospital you see some of the kids in there and they just love all the staff, it’s a special place.

“My daughter will never have 100% vision in her eye, but thanks to the excellent care she’s received she’s been able to enjoy her life. She’s had a new lens placed in.

Paul began his training for the big run in October last year, running a seven-mile route round Troon.

His tough schedule saw him get up at 5am some mornings or going out at 10pm at night.

But the dad of three said its been well worth it.

He added: “The 26 miles of a marathon are just the final stage.

“Its going to be a big achievement but not only that I will be helping out a great cause.”

“We cannot thank Paul enough for taking on the London Marathon to raise money for us. It’s always very humbling to hear of the length’s fundraisers are willing to go to in order to support us.

“The work we do to support children like Orla at Scotland’s busiest children’s hospital just wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of people like Paul. Not only does it allow us to fund play programmes and family support services, we can also fund cutting edge medical equipment and research.”