A GORLESTON doctor will be using his healing feet not hands to raise money for a charity that helps former army personnel when he pulls on his running shoes to tackle the Paris Marathon.

A GORLESTON doctor will be using his healing feet not hands to raise money for a charity that helps former army personnel when he pulls on his running shoes to tackle the Paris Marathon.

Dr Simon Worsley, who works at Central Surgery in Sussex Road, is in training for the 26 mile challenge on April 11 in aid of the charity Combat Stress, which helps ex-service personnel who have psychological problems.

He will be joined on the run by his sons David, 27 and Alistair, 26 and has been training by doing half marathons and 18 mile runs at weekends.

The inspiration for Mr Worsley's run came from his time as a senior medical officer in the Royal Army Medical Corps when he served in Northern Ireland and saw at first hand the mental stresses experienced by troops in combat zones.

Since he started working at the Gorleston surgery 22 years ago he has also been visited by a number of POWs who served in the Far East.

He said: “Unfortunately, with what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think we are going to see a lot more soldiers with mental health problems and that is where Combat Stress can help.”

Mr Worsley, who lives with wife Julia, 55, in Toft Monks said although NHS mental health services could help, the charity offered more specialist provision for the soldiers and could send them away to specialist centres to receive treatment.

To donate to Mr Worsley's appeal visit www.justgiving.com/simon-worsley.