A Newport insurance broker is set to don his running daps in order to raise money and awareness for Welsh bereavement charity 2 Wish Upon A Star.

Paul Wiggins, 38, who works for bpw Insurance Services in Newport, will be running Nottingham’s gruelling 100-mile Robin Hood ultramarathon.

The race will see him traverse forest trails, minor roads, and footpaths, all with six kilograms of kit strapped to his back. The endurance race comes with a time-limit of 30 hours, which means runners will have to battle blisters, cramps and darkness as they push themselves to compete.

Paul, who is fundraising as part of his role as the recently elected president of the Insurance Institute of Cardiff, said he was inspired to fundraise after learning about the charity.

He said: “I first heard about Rhian’s story when she was on BBC’s ‘Mind Over Marathon’ programme. After learning more about the charity, Rhian’s story really stuck with me, so when I accepted the role of President and had to chose a charity to support, it was an easy decision. The work they do to support families across Wales is tremendous, and the more I discover about them and their work the more I am inspired to support them and their fantastic team.”

Every year the president of the Insurance Institute of Cardiff selects a charity to support. Last year the president’s challenge raised more than £3,000 for the charity Welsh Hearts.

Paul said: “I am excited about the race as I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself. As you can imagine a non-stop, 100-mile run is not for the faint hearted and I know I will have my pain threshold tested. The strategic aspect of the race is what appeals to me most; managing nutrition will be key as the race involves running a whole day, throughout the night, and into the next morning with no rest, so you have to eat as you go. Hopefully, I can raise enough money to help support the charity and the fantastic work that it does - if getting a foot full of blisters means funds for their cause, that’s a small price to pay.”

Founder of 2 Wish Upon A Star, Rhian Burke said: “Our charity is built upon the fantastic work of volunteers and fundraisers like Paul. We simply cannot do what we do without their support and I’d like to thank him for taking on this arduous challenge in our name.

“We work closely with police forces and health boards across Wales, opening family rooms and responding to incidents where a parent has suddenly or unexpectedly lost a child or young person under the age of 25. Our work supports people across Wales through the worst moments of their lives, but we can only do that if we have the support of individuals like Paul.”

Rhian set up the charity in 2012 after suffering the sudden loss of her son George and husband Paul. The charity aims to improve bereavement services across Wales to support families who have suffered the sudden loss of a child. The funds raised go towards helping those who are in need of immediate shock and trauma support and to improve the bereavement facilities in local hospitals and accident and emergency departments.

To support Paul and the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star, you can donate by going to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-wiggins2.