An amateur Mansfield runner will be relying on the socks he makes for a living to protect his feet from blisters as he attempts a gruelling six marathons in six days charity challenge.

Ben Lowe, account manager at specialist sports sock manufacturer SockMine, of Sutton, will be running in April to raise money for The Light Fund.

The fund raises cash for charities, including The Children’s Trust, Challenge Africa, the Orchid Cancer Appeal, and the New Life special care babies’ charity.

Friends Jason Easy and Katie Ball, who both work for the BBC, will also be putting SockMine socks to the test by joining Ben on the challenge.

For the first five days, the trio will each run the equivalent of five marathons — around 130 miles — along the Grand Union Canal, which links Birmingham to London.

The challenge will culminate on Sunday, 23rd April, when they will all participate in the 2017 Virgin London Marathon.

Ben is training for the event in socks developed and made by SockMine, the Sutton-based UK’s leading retailer of running, cycling and sports socks.

SockMine is part of Roy Lowe and Sons, a textile manufacturer that was established in 1996 by Ben’s father, Martin, and his brother, Tim, who learnt about the industry from their father, Roy, having previously worked together at local sock firm Samuel Eden & Son.

Although Roy Lowe & Sons stopped manufacturing in 2006 and outsourced its production to the Far East, when Ben joined the company in 2012 he began working with his uncle on restarting UK production. That led to the birth of SockMine in 2013.

SockMine’s dedication to development within British manufacturing was acknowledged when it won the national Meet The Manufacturer Innovation Accelerator award in 2016 for its Griplock™ concept.

The GripLock™ range adheres to the foot, reducing the friction against skin, and therefore helping to reduce the chance of blisters.

Ben said: “The idea of us doing the six-in-six started where most great ideas do, in a bar over a pint. Jason and I were both talking about how we had started running again, and decided to set ourselves a goal.

“However, we didn’t think that running just one marathon was challenging enough, so set our sights higher by attempting six in six days, with the hope of raising at least £6,000 for the Light Fund.

“We pride ourselves on the way that SockMine socks care for your feet, enabling athletes of all abilities to compete harder and for longer.”

To make a donation, visit the team’s fundraising page, www.justgiving.com/6marathons6days