Kate ScotterFour brothers whose dad was a well-known Norwich surgeon are set to run the London Marathon dressed as knights in armour in his memory.Throughout their childhood, their father Alastair Cameron, who was a surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich and West Norwich hospitals until he retired in 1989, had battled against heart problems.Kate Scotter

Four brothers whose dad was a well-known Norwich surgeon are set to run the London Marathon dressed as knights in armour in his memory.

Throughout their childhood, their father Alastair Cameron, who was a surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich and West Norwich hospitals until he retired in 1989, had battled against heart problems.

He had suffered his first heart attack at the age of 48 but, despite doctors' predictions and a series of heart attacks over the years, he lived until he was 70. He died from a heart attack in 2004.

Now, siblings Duncan, Dougal, Hamish and Angus, who all grew up in Strumpshaw, will take part in the gruelling 26.2 mile event on April 25 to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Angus, 37, who now lives in London and whose girlfriend Amy will run alongside them dressed as Lady Guinevere, said: 'When the series of heart attacks began we were all young children and Hamish and Dougal were only five years old.

'When eventually he died, he was a grandfather to Duncan's children and all of us had left home to establish our independent lives.

'We all feel extremely lucky to have been given the chance to grow up as such close friends to our two amazing parents and this would not have been the case were it not for the invaluable research into the causes and treatment of heart disease - a cause championed by the British Heart Foundation.'

The brothers now live in different parts of the country but Dougal, who is a twin to Hamish, still lives in Strumpshaw and works in the Shoulder of Mutton Pub and with a local tree surgeon. Their mum, Elizabeth, also still lives in the village.

In 2005, Angus and Duncan ran the marathon dressed as cybermen from Doctor Who and after the event, the four brothers vowed to all run it together in aid of BHF.

At the moment, they are all in training and Duncan will take part in the Bath Half Marathon at the start of next month where he will test out the knight costume.

They plan to stick together throughout the event and hope to complete the run in under five hours.

Duncan, 38, who now lives in Somerset and is a father of five with his sixth on the way, has designed the costumes. He said: 'Doing the marathon is very hard to do, especially in fancy dress. We decided on knights in armour because we wanted to be dramatic, visual, exciting and fun.

'If we stand out and are doing something unusual hopefully it will help us raise as much money and sponsorship as possible for a very worthwhile cause. It's also an opportunity to get together and come together positively in memory of our father.'

t To watch a video of their training diary, go to www.eveningnews24.co.uk

t To read the Cameron brothers' progress or to sponsor them, go to www.knightrunners.org.

t Are you doing something extraordinary for charity? Call reporter Kate Scotter on 01603 772326 or email kate.scotter@archant.co.uk