A BRAVE dad-of-two tackled 50 miles of marshland to raise money for a cause close to his heart.

Jamie Pennycott, 44, from Burnham, conquered the Saltmarsh Ultra in the Dengie last Saturday in support of the National Deaf Children’s Society.

Jamie completed his race challenge in less than 13 hours and has raised more than £1,000 for the charity, doubling his original target of £500.

Jamie lives with his wife Paula and daughters Eden, 16, and Ella, 14.

He works in Southend as a commissioner of drug and alcohol services for the borough council.

He was inspired to take on the gruelling course by his daughter Ella, who was diagnosed with hearing loss three years ago and is now profoundly deaf.

Jamie said: “Since Ella was first diagnosed with hearing loss three years ago, we were lucky enough to be pointed in the direction of the National Deaf Children’s Society.

“They have been invaluable in supporting both Ella and us as parents, giving Ella a good sense of her deaf identity. The support they have given to all of us as a family has been phenomenal, and the opportunities and confidence they have given Ella has been invaluable.

“It’s hard to imagine how we would have coped without their support, so I want to make sure that they are able to continue supporting other families in the future.”

Jamie said his current fundraising total is £1,060.

John Larkin, who is part of the charity’s fundraising team, said: “I want to say a huge thank you to Jamie for taking on this event.

“We couldn’t be more grateful for his incredible support and the buckets of dedication, time, training and effort he has put in.

“It’s through selfless supporters like Jamie that we are able to keep on doing what we do, supporting the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and their families across the UK, now and into the future.”

To sponsor Jamie visit justgiving.com/fundraising/jamie-pennycottsm75.