The manager of builders’ merchant Kent Blaxhill’s Suffolk branch is running 180km this year to celebrate the company’s 180th year.

Paul Jones will be running in several running events and half marathons across the year which will total a distance of 180km. He has run 83.2km so far since beginning this challenge in March.

Jones’ management team are sponsoring him. The money will go to armed forces charity Help for Heroes, which is Kent Blaxhill’s annual charity for 2018.

Jones’ first races were the Colchester Half Marathon in March and the Colchester Stampede 10km in May. He has also completed the Alton Water 10km and Nayland 5km. In June, he completed his first full marathon, the Orwell Challenge.

Jones’ next event is a half marathon in August in Suffolk, followed by the Great East Run in Ipswich in September.

He said: “I wanted to raise money for Help for Heroes, challenge myself and mark the 180th anniversary of Kent Blaxill. I joined the company last year and I'm proud to be part of such a long-established business.”

Simon Blaxill, Managing Director at Kent Blaxill, said: “We are proud of Paul Jones for taking up such a challenge on behalf of Kent Blaxill. Help for Heroes is a charity close to our hearts as Colchester is a barracks town and our company began in Colchester High Street in 1838.”

“We are equally thrilled to be marking Kent Blaxill’s 180th anniversary in 2018 and wish Paul every success - he is certainly making myself and all his Kent Blaxill colleagues very proud.”