THE chair of the Darwen 41 club has completed a run from Darwen Tower to Blackpool Tower to raise money for a hospice.

Eric Collins, 70, tackled “The Two Towers Tour” on Sunday to raise money for East Lancashire Hospice

He undertook the 30-mile run in memory of his father, Albert Collins, who was cared for at the hospice.

He said: “It was as difficult as I had imagined, but it’s great to be able to help the Hospice towards their annual requirements.

“They are brilliant people there, they did everything they could for him.

“It really is a lovely place, I can’t praise them enough for all the great work they do.”

Mr Collins, who has completed the run several times before, managed the route in just over six hours and raised £600 for the hospice.

He said: “It was quite difficult towards the end.

“The last nine miles were hard, I had to start jogging and walking but I got there.

“I didn’t set a time limit because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

“Last time I did it I managed it in five hours but I was much younger so I’m quite proud of my time. I’m very happy with the amount raised.

“There have been a lot of decent donations and its got up to a reasonable amount."