AN 81-year-old man is set to take part in Bournemouth Race For Life this weekend after battling cancer.

Rob Forrester-Addie spent his career working as a cameraman with the Ministry of Defence for 39 years from 1958 to 1997, where he worked outside under varied conditions both in the UK and abroad.

He will run Bournemouth Race for Life with his son, Max, this Sunday, September 26, which takes place at Bournemouth Pier Approach.

He said: "From the start, I never knew I had a more sensitive skin to most other people. So my cancer story is that I have been under the knife plus other treatments many times over the past 34 years. The NHS has been brilliant for me with the Maxillo-facial department at Odstock Hospital and the Christchurch Hospital cancer care."

Mr Forrester-Addie's charity work first started when his parents opened the RNLI Museum at Barmouth, North Wales, where he drew and printed postcards for them to sell at the museum.

Since then he has taken part in fundraising to help a number of charities including climbing Cader Idris for the Wessex Scanner Appeal, climbing Ben Nevis for the Ringwood First Responders and paddling around the Isle of Wight in an inflatable canoe for the RNLI.

He said: "I enjoy helping almost everybody. I'm now 81 and 10 twelfths and want to help give something back to the people working on Cancer Research. I've never run in any race since school, but I'm just one tiny cog in the huge machine to make funds for researchers.

"My son is also doing the same run even though he’s not a natural runner either. I won't be running, I'll be jogging then walking the distance, so I've called myself a 'jalker.'"

To donate to their fundraising page, visit: https://fundraise.cancerresearch.org/page/roberts-race-for-life-489899.