Former down-and-out David Crabtree is to pound the streets of London in the annual marathon in aid of the charity that saved his marriage.

Mr Crabtree, 45, decided to raise money for cash-strapped Relate after reading in the Telegraph & Argus about the plight of the marriage-guidance charity based in Westgate, Bradford.

The group, which counsels 800 couples a year, faces closure at the end of May unless a major source of new funding can be found.

Now the owner of three nursing homes, Mr Crabtree plans to raise sponsorship for the charity when he will join thousands of others in the marathon on Sunday.

He said his 23-year marriage to Alison was saved 11 years ago thanks to counselling from the group.

He had become an alcoholic, lost his job as a nurse manager in Southport and had his home repossessed. He was forced to sleep rough on the streets of Blackpool and was separated for six months from his wife and their son Andrew, then aged nine. But thanks to counselling from Relate they had repaired their marriage and forged a new life together.

He helped counsel alcoholics before getting the chance to run and then own a nursing home, building up the business from nothing.

"Eleven years ago I was homeless due to alcohol and was separated," he said.

"I knew everything there was to know about alcohol, except how to stay sober.

"It's been a long, long struggle but now I'm a successful businessman and my marriage has survived and I feel I should put something back - I'm grateful to be alive and recovered.

"Years ago when I had got my act together with my alcoholism, Relate was one of the many organisations that helped me and helps not just me but many people and many families in Bradford.

"Many of the people I helped with alcohol problems found help through Relate or other counselling groups."

Mr Crabtree, who runs the Oakdene Residential Home in Daisy Hill, the River View in Bingley and the Kipping Manse in Thornton, said he had been training up to 30 miles a week for his second marathon and hoped to finish in less than five hours.

Relate treasurer Dr Marjorie Gardner said they were delighted by his gesture, adding: "We wish him all the best."

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