Mark's run of luck from PM

The Mountcastle man, 27, plans to run 50 marathons, from Amsterdam to Barcelona, in 56 days in aid of Edinburgh Headway Group, a charity which helps those with head injuries.

He has already raised 11,000 and hopes to reach 25,000, in memory of his mother Sheila, who died of a brain haemorrhage when he was 14.

Now he has received a letter from Mr Brown wishing him well. "It was just a good luck message saying my mum would be proud of me, and I thought it was really nice of him to take the time out of his day to do that, considering how busy he must be at the moment," he said.