Ainsworth hopes to honour his father’s memory who lost his life to the disease in 2015. He is aiming to raise up to £30,000 for the charity between now and next April.

He said: “Having seen my father suffer from pancreatic cancer, I know the devastation it can cause to both the patient and family. He passed on a work ethic that made me determined to make something of my life and in the early days that meant a lot of sacrifice.

“I wanted to make this year a positive one and mirror his strength; I can’t think of an event more suited. With it being one of the hardest cancers to identify, often it is too late to cure sufferers which is a heart-breaking reality for many.

“I’m so proud to be supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK and all the invaluable work they do to not only help patients but fund the vital research into improving the diagnoses and survival statistics.”

For Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November, Ainsworth will also be supporting the charity’s campaign, which is dedicated to increasing the understanding of the symptoms and support affected by the devastating disease.

Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival of all the 20 common cancers and less than 7% of people with the disease will survive beyond five years.

The money raised for Pancreatic Cancer UK will help provide much needed funding for innovative research with the aim to find crucial breakthroughs that will change how we understand, diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer.

Diana Jupp, CEO of Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted that Paul is taking on the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon for Pancreatic Cancer UK and turning the spotlight on to a devastating disease which has been overlooked for decades.

“Too many families like Paul’s have lost loved ones to pancreatic cancer. Around 10,000 people are diagnosed in the UK every year, but tragically less than 7% survive beyond five years. Incredible progress has been in treatment for other cancers, but there hasn’t been a major breakthrough in pancreatic cancer for over 40 years. That is simply unacceptable.

“We urgently need to fund more research into new treatments before the deadliest common cancer takes even more lives. Having Paul support the charity will hopefully inspire more people to take on this dreadful cancer.”

Ainsworth has set up a Virgin Money sponsorship page and will be documenting his London Marathon training journey across his social media platforms from now until April 2019 –https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PaulAinsworth4