A St Francis Hospice supporter joined the Abu Dhabi run to raise £1,000.

John Myers, from Shenfield, recently moved to Abu Dhabi with his wife, and took part in the Adnic Yas 10km run around the Formula One circuit.

He wanted to fundraise after the hospice cared for his mum Patricia, from Brentwood, before she died in August 2011.

He said: “It was a great event which I really enjoyed taking part in and with the added bonus of raising money for a great cause.

“The atmosphere was fantastic and although the temperature was 29 degrees on the track I was determined to complete the run in the quickest time I could manage. I was very pleased to have done it in 55 minutes.

He added: “I wanted to give something back to St Francis Hospice because the care and support the staff showed to us as a family was invaluable and we could not have got through the toughest time of our lives without it.

“With the support of the hospice nurses we were able to care for Mum at home, which was a great comfort and it is what she wanted.”