After ten years of rejected applications, Trevor Steward will finally be competing in the London Marathon this year.

However, the martial arts instructor had a spanner thrown in the works after an accident at work left him with three broken toes.

The 48-year-old, from Watton, has been unable to train since the accident three weeks ago – but is determined to compete in the marathon on April 24 after a decade of thwarted attempts.

His determination comes after he was involved in a serious car accident near his home in 2004.

He broke his neck and came dangerously close to being paralysed from the neck down, and was told by doctors that he may never walk again.

He said: 'It's like having the body of a six-month-old baby. You have to learn how to walk and eat again, you have to start again from scratch.

'It took me a long time to get over it, but I was lucky – I got given a second chance. That was when I decided I wanted to run the London Marathon.'

With the marathon less than three weeks away, Mr Steward has raised nearly £4,000 for his chosen charities – Hounds for Heroes, which provides assistance dogs to injured and disabled members of the UK Armed Forces and emergency services, and Children with Cancer UK.

But last month, while demonstrating a kick in one of his Ishin Ryu Ju Jitsu classes, a panicked student put up a hand to stop his approaching foot and broke three of his toes.

Doctors strapped the foot into a splint and said the healing period would be four to six weeks, during which time Mr Steward has been unable to continue his marathon training or run his martial arts classes in Thetford and Dereham.

He had been training for four months before the accident and managed to attain a peak of 20 miles – a few short of the 26.2 mile marathon length.

'The worst case scenario is that I can't train again before the day,' he said.

'But I've been waiting ten years to try and do this, and I will do it whatever and do as well as I can.'

Mr Steward, a martial arts instructor for 20 years, admits that he 'doesn't enjoy running' and has found training difficult.

'I'm not built for long runs. I've found the training hard because I never found running exciting, when you're just doing the same circuits every week,' he said.

'At points you think, why am I doing this, but it's knowing you're raising money for the charities that gives you the motivation to keep going.'

To donate to Mr Steward's marathon effort, go to www.justgiving.com/Trevor-Steward.

Are you taking part in the London Marathon this year? Email bethany.whymark@archant.co.uk.