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A Wirral grandad who dressed up in drag to take part in a women’s race for life donated more than £1,300 to Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

Ray Buckley, 59, dresses up as “Raychel” in June to take part in the charity fun run to support his wife Sheila, 66, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer 10 years ago.

Ray raised £804 through a JustGiving page and, after being featured in The ECHO over the summer, he was also paid £500 by a magazine who wanted to write a story about him.

He added his magazine fee to the pot so he could contribute more to beating cancer.

Ray, from Wallasey , said: “The response was brilliant and I exceeded the amount I had expected to raise by a lot. My initial target was only £100.

“It could never happen again because the response wouldn’t be the same, but the initial reaction was incredible and I got so much support from my work colleagues, friends, and family. It was a surreal day.”

Although Sheila managed to beat the cancer, after six weeks of radiotherapy at Clatterbidge, her sister Christine and Ray’s brother-in-law Norman sadly lost their battle with different forms of the disease.

Sheila and her daughter Julie have been participating in the race for six years, accompanied by Ray who often walked the same distance as he offered support and took pictures.

After offering to take part in the the female-only run and getting declined, Ray decided to enter the race in drag as “Raychel”, dressed as a woman in full pink attire , and ran alongside his family.

It took the granddad and his family around 43 minutes to complete the 5k race.

Sam Archibald, events manager at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “Ray’s donation is fantastic and massively appreciated, we are thankful to all the people who donate to us but Ray has really gone the extra mile.

“At least part of the money he is donating today will be used to help fund the new cancer hospital we are opening in the heart of Liverpool.

To find out more about Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, or how to donate, visit their website .