DETERMINED fundraiser Mark Allison has pledged to complete his charity run across Australia - despite earlier abandoning the challenge due to safety fears.

The 42-year-old has already covered over 2,000 miles for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children’s Foundation but announced yesterday that the last stretch, incorporating parts of the notorious Hume Highway in darkness, was simply too dangerous to tackle.

He has now had a change of heart and will continue the run with the aim of reaching the coastal town of Shellharbour on January 3.

The new end point will save around 40 miles off the previous route but, importantly, he will still have run across Australia – coast to coast.

Mr Allison, who lives in Blyth, Northumberland, and has a former wife and son in Shotley Bridge, County Durham, said: "I can not fail, I can not come this far with all this support and all the effort from the support team to fail and let people down.

"I've had so many supportive messages, and I don't want to let anyone down, ever.”

So far Mr Allison’s Australian run has raised more than £37,000 for the two charities.