This week, with MARTIN WILCOCK, 33, professional illustrator from Blackburn who will be taking part in tomorrow's London Marathon

MEMORY: Falling off a slide at primary school, resulting in a large bump on my head. I never liked heights after that.

HOLIDAY: A family holiday to Pontins, near Blackpool. It rained all week but we had a good time.

HOME: A terraced house in Infirmary Street, Blackburn.

JOB: A morning paper round when I was still at school in 1983. I think I got paid £5 a week which seemed a lot.

PET: A tortoise called Fred, who turned into Freda when I found out "he" was a "she".

AMBITION: Probably to work with animals, maybe as a vet. But I ended up painting instead. It's mostly private commissions but making a living from it is pretty difficult. I might go into teacher training and paint in my spare time.

HERO: David Attenborough. I used to think he had the best job in the world, travelling around and observing all the wildlife.

RECORD: Enola Gay by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

CYCLING RACE: A tough, hilly road race at Hutton when I was about 17. I finished third. I do a little bit of cycling these days to keep fit.

ILLUSTRATING AWARD: I received a gold metal for botanical illustration from the Royal Horticultural Society for some work on saving hay meadows.

MARATHON: I entered the Blackpool marathon last year and finished 24th out of 600.

SPONSOR: My sister's husband, Mark Navesey of Navesey General Engineers of Tockholes, was the first to sponsor me to run in the Flora London Marathon tomorrow. My mum died of cancer and I'm raising money for Cancer Research UK. I'd be grateful if anyone wants to make a donation to the charity.