AN emergency visit to the Dilke Memorial Hospital with a cotton bud stuck in his ear put Cinderford man Dean Evans on track for a ten mile charity road run to Ross next month.

Dean is now inviting as many 'Cottonbuddies' as possible to join him on July 16 to raise cash for the hospital in gratitude for safely removing the foreign object from his ear.

Participants can run, walk or cycle the 10 miles from the Golden Lion, Cinderford, to the Hope and Anchor on Ross's riverside, followed by a pig roast with live music back at the Lion in the evening.

"I just wanted to do something as a thank you to the hospital and its staff for being so good with me," said Dean.

"It was one of those things you do. I was trying to clean my ear with a cotton bud, it just got stuck and was really painful.

"I knew it was dangerous, but didn't think it would happen to me. Thankfully they got it out without any lasting damage.

"I've never done any serious running before, but I have given up smoking as some sort of preparation for the event."

To register for the run and obtain a sponsor form contact Dean on 07912 627469 or see facebook page 'RuntoRoss'.

Dean is also keen to hear from anyone who can help by being a steward on the day.