IAN CLARKE Farmer Ian Mason yesterday reflected on his amazing round-Norfolk golf marathon as his fundraising total reached £50,000. He covered all the county's 31 courses and played 468 holes and took 2,258 shots in the six-day epic.

IAN CLARKE

Farmer Ian Mason yesterday reflected on his amazing round-Norfolk golf marathon as his fundraising total reached £50,000.

He covered all the county's 31 courses and played 468 holes and took 2,258 shots in the six-day epic.

The 43 year old from Hillington, near King's Lynn, was given a £3,000 cheque at the Royal Norfolk Show from major sponsor Brown & Co, which boosts the amount he has collected for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Mr Mason, who plays off a 13 handicap, said the highlight of the week was the "amazing" support from people at all the Norfolk courses he played.

"It was far more than I expected," he said. "Every single club I played at went beyond being helpful and people got out of the way all round to let me through."

The marathon effort - which left him with a sore shoulder and stomach - meant his getting up before 3am and not arriving home until late at night.

"I seem to have visited plenty of bunkers and it remains to be seen if I've reduced my handicap," he said.

Pledging a long break from golf, Mr Mason added: "One thing is for sure, I won't be picking up another golf club for several weeks to come."

Macmillan Cancer Support promoted the message at the show that around half of cancer patients and their families may not be receiving the information and support they need.

With over 4,400 people in Norfolk diagnosed with cancer each year, it could mean hundreds of people are living quietly with the wider impact of cancer without the support they need.

The charity launched a new touring information centre.

New research it produced showed 37pc of people with cancer find the support system "confusing" and 41pc cannot get information they need.