A DETERMINED dad is taking on one of the world’s most gruelling challenges to raise money for a children’s charity in memory of his twin daughters.

Yesterday, Adrian May headed out to the Moroccan desert in a bid to conquer the Marathon des Sables – a 150-mile run through the Sahara desert.

Adrian, of Bishopstone, will be taking on the 151-mile run in the scorching heat of the Sahara to raise money for HOPE for Children, a small grass roots charity that helps children and their families all around the world.

He estimates he has raised around £30,000 for various charities following the death of his two daughters, Olivia and Imogen, who died at just 11 and 13 days old respectively after being born prematurely in 1998.

As well as the run, the 51-year-old will need to take with him everything he will need to keep going, with organisers only providing 12-litres of water and tents to sleep in.

Adrian said before he left that the training had gone well, despite losing a toe nail, but his biggest fear was injury.

He said: “After my daughters died in 1998 I have always done something for children’s charities.

“The Marathon des Sables is known as the toughest foot race on Earth and I’ve never done anything like it before.

“So far I have raised approximately £7,000 and my employer, Castrol, will be doubling most of what I raise.

“I’m going to try and blog from the event, so long as I can get phone signal.

“Food is still my biggest headache as it forms the largest weight of what I’m carrying by a long way.

“Training is going okay. I’ve some aches and pains in my ankle I’d rather not have but have been advised there are very few people who start this race without some form of injury incurred in training.

“I’ve read a number of articles of exceptional people who have run truly exception races – from the north to south pole, across America and from John O’Groats to Morocco, they all say the same thing: embrace the pain. You can’t avoid it.”

To sponsor Adrian visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=AdrianMay, Follow Adrian’s blog at http://desert2012.blogspot.co.uk.