A CHEPSTOW town councillor will be taking on the first Severn Bridge half marathon this month to raise money for a charity which helped his young cousin in her battle against cancer.

Cllr Benjamin Smith, of St Kingsmark ward, will aim to complete the 13.1 mile run on August 24 for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity which helped his cousin and goddaughter Elizabeth Jones, 11, who lives in Aldershot.

But this is not the only fitness challenge facing the councillor as he also plans to take on the Wye Not Tri triathlon on September 28.

Elizabeth was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this time last year.

The brave youngster faced going through extensive chemotherapy treatment and also underwent an operation to have the head of her pancreas removed back in April.

Her treatment was carried out at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London and the family finally received the news they had been hoping for last month when they were told Elizabeth was clear of cancer.

Cllr Smith said doctors were unsure about the nature of the cancer at first and that they had also found out that the cancer Elizabeth had fought against was quite unique as she had a mix of both adult and child cancerous cells.

The battle of his young cousin has now given Cllr Smith the perfect cause to raise funds for during his upcoming challenges.

He said: "It's been a very difficult year for her and her family but the hospital were fantastic. They are world leading with cancer care.

He added: "Hopefully the money I raise will support the fantastic work done at the hospital for other families."

To support the cause visit http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/BenjaminSmith5. To find out more about Elizabeth's challenge over the past year visit https://www.facebook.com/BumpysFund