TEEN cancer survivor Corey Foster, one of the stars of shows in Butlin’s Minehead holiday resort, has raised more than £2,300 for charity by completing last weekend’s London Marathon.

Corey was supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which is Butlin’s official charity partner as well as a charity close to his heart.

Butlin’s had one marathon entry available for team members from across its head office and three UK resorts and Corey was selected to represent the company.

Corey was 13 years old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia and GOSH helped with his treatment plan and gave him and his family guidance.

Corey Foster, a Butlin's Minehead cast member, is pictured after finishing the London Marathon.
Corey Foster, a Butlin's Minehead cast member, is pictured after finishing the London Marathon. ( )

He trained ahead of the marathon run for several months in the Minehead area, along the West Somerset coastline and pounding the pavements in Dunster.

His training even continued when he swapped the beaches of Somerset for those in Turkey when he went on holiday.

He finished the 26.2-mile marathon course in a time of six hours and 18 minutes, with his fund-raising going directly toward a world-leading children’s cancer centre, a unique facility which aims to improve the outcome for young people with cancer.

Corey said knowing first-hand how important the facility will be to cancer patients, he was proud to give back to the charity which made such a difference for him.

He said: “I feel very honoured that I was picked out of all those who applied to run the London Marathon.

“Great Ormond Street Hospital is a charity I have a personal connection to, having been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at 13.

“During the time my family and I needed support the most, GOSH was there to help with my treatment plan.

“Running the marathon for GOSH was important for so many reasons but knowing that my fund-raising for the charity is going towards the children’s cancer centre makes the challenge of the marathon worth it.

“As a teenage cancer survivor, I know how beneficial this facility and the services will be to patients and it made me even more determined to get across the finish line.”

Corey’s London Marathon feat was the latest fund-raising activity this year by the Minehead resort team, which includes everything from bake sales and bingo to a 23-mile swimathon and a five-mile fun run, as they contribute to Butlin’s goal of raising £1 million for GOSH by 2028.

The hospital has been Butlin’s official charity partner since 2015, although the partnership started decades earlier when the company’s founder Sir Billy Butlin gave funds to buy the UK’s first paediatric CT scanner in 1977.

GOSH started building its new children’s centre in February to provide a new home for its cancer services, as well as more space for its school, imaging, critical care, and theatre services.

A spokesperson said: “The new children’s cancer centre will bring together the different services needed for specialist cancer care, allowing teams to work more closely together.

“This will improve the quality of our care, reduce risk, and allow rapid access in emergencies.”