It’s that time of year again when I swap my suit for a running kit, and stop pacing the corridors of Westminster to go pound the streets of London.

Running the London Marathon for Cancer Research UK is an annual event for me – as is the creeping realisation that I haven’t done enough training, the dread of those painful 26.2 miles and then the euphoria when I finally stagger across the finish line.

Running the London Marathon for Cancer Research UK is an annual event for me – as is the creeping realisation that I haven’t done enough training, the dread of those painful 26.2 miles and then the euphoria when I finally stagger across the finish line.

Every year I swear I won’t do it again, but then every year I am reminded of its value – and so the cycle begins again!

Spurring me on are many things – such as my recent visit to CRUK’s headquarters, where I met their hugely impressive team. I also regularly meet people in Barnsley and beyond whose lives have been touched by cancer in different ways – from patients to healthcare workers, colleagues to carers, families to friends.

I know what a devastating impact it can have and so, even though this year I have done virtually no training, it is their stories that will keep me going through the streets of London on Sunday morning.

With more than 81 people diagnosed with cancer every day in Yorkshire and the Humber, it’s vital that we support organisations such as CRUK. Cancer survival rates in the UK are still lagging behind other countries and this has to change.

If you value the work they do and want to do your bit, you can donate online at: www.justgiving.com/CRUK2016LMTeam

Or you can pop into the Cancer Research UK shop on Market Street in the town centre, and make your donation there.

Every year I have been humbled by the level of support. It proves that, even in tough times, the generosity of the people of Barnsley knows no bounds.

I have a number of goals on Sunday: to hopefully finish in a respectable time and, if possible, to be the first MP to cross the finish line.

But, above all else, to be able to say one day in the future: “We have won our battle against this devastating disease and I played my part in that”.

If you have concerns about cancer make sure you talk to your GP or you can visit Cancer Research UK’s website at: www.cancerresearchuk.org

This article was first published in the Barnsley Chronicle on 22 April 2016.