Running 10k in memoryof his son

Ernie Nixon has entered the Bognor Prom 10k road race for the first time to help others come to terms with their children's death at their own hands.

He is also using his run to raise money for those fighting breast cancer which his wife has succeeded in doing twice.

Ernie (55) will be wearing a bright yellow T-shirt printed with Come On Ernie to make him instantly recognisable on his seafront training runs and to those lining the route on the race day of May 20.

He explained: 'I've got two very personal reasons for wanting to complete this run. My son was only 15 when he killed himself. There were no signs that he was going to do it.

'He was getting on well at school and had a lot of friends. My wife and I didn't understand why he did it at the time and we still don't. We've still got no idea.

'My wife, Toni, was the pillar of strength out of the two of us. I broke down and went to pieces.'

The couple's life was also rocked by the two incidents of breast cancer which 63-year-old Toni endured but they have survived the traumas.

Ernie was a regular runner in his native Northern Ireland when he was a policeman in the town of Enniskillen. He raised money for senior citizens' clubs from his exertions.

He stopped entering the events when he moved to his present home in Felpham Road. But this year's poignant anniversary has prompted him to resume his training as the couple have re-built their lives locally.

He goes out three times a week on routes of four and ten miles to get himself in shape for the big day.

'I used to do the distance in about 50 minutes but that was about 12-15 years ago,' he said.

The charities which will benefit from Ernie's exertions will be Teenage Suicides, which has a branch in Chichester, and Breast Cancer Care at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.

Ernie has opened a Come On Ernie account at Barclays Bank into which donations can be made through any branch. Many shops around Felpham are also displaying his sponsorship forms for which he is grateful.