Many residents will know Matt Holland best as the friendly face serving them coffee from Willmore's Café or the van at Cosmeston.

But this weekend, Matt and his family are going the extra mile (and then some) to raise money for Alzheimer's Society, a charity close to their heart, after the loss of their patriarch George Holland during lockdown.

Together the family will walk 26 miles across the Salisbury Plains, inspired by George who was a keen marathon runner throughout his life.

"Running was his thing," explained Matt, as he served from the Cosmeston food and drink van.

"He ran for the Roath Harriers club when he was younger and used to do the London Marathon regularly; age 40 he did it in 3hrs:10m:10s.

"Dad used to make my siblings and I run with him, and he had such a 'get on with it and do it' attitude.

"So, when my sister suggested we do this, we just jumped at it and said yes. We wanted to keep his memory alive and raise money for a charity that help with dementia and Alzheimer's," he said.

George passed away age 82, in October 2020, as a result of the degenerative condition. But he was still able to remember his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren until the end.

"The lockdown just completely destroyed my dad and his mental health," said Matt.

"When he went into hospital just before he passed away, it was awful because Covid restrictions meant we weren't allowed in to see him."

"He was also bipolar so fought throughout his whole life, so mental health is something our family feels very strongly about.

"My dad raised us as really good kids and he managed to do that while holding down a job most of his life.

"That's a big achievement in itself and wouldn't have been possible without my mum's support."

The family have been training for the marathon trek, which will take them past Stonehenge, in between busy working lives, though Matt joked that they should all be natural athletes.

"My mum was an Olympic gymnast, at Rome in 1960," he said.

"Alongside my dad's running talent, it should be in the genes but instead we've gone into other things!"

But a part of George will always be alongside Matt, as he named the food and drink van after his father.

"It's how I keep him alongside me," he said.

"Any time people ask how we chose the name, I get to talk about my dad and share all those great memories of him."

To read more about the Holland family's fundraiser and donate click here