Record-breaking runner Gary McKee has been named as one of the region's four finalists in the Pride of Britain Awards.

Cleator Moor's marathon man will find out on Friday whether he will be going to London for the national ceremony - screened on ITV - on November 7.

ITV Border are revealing the four finalists for fundraiser of the year throughout this week before naming the region's winner.

"It's a bit of a surprise," said Gary, who is the first candidate to be named. "It's nice to be recognised. At the end of the day, the winners are the charities.

"It raises their profile if they have somebody doing something for them."

The Pride of Britain Awards celebrate people's remarkable achievements and candidates are nominated by the public.

Gary, who completed 100 marathons in 100 days earlier this year, secured the fundraiser of the year award at the North West Charity Awards last week. His mammoth feat raised over £100,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He said: "I was at the North West awards down in Manchester and won fundraiser of the year. It was the inaugural awards so to be the winner in the first year is quite special."

And, this Friday, he will receive the highest accolade that Copeland Council can hand out. The council will present him with the Freedom of the Borough at a ceremony held in Cleator Moor.

"To receive the freedom of the borough is quite humbling, to know that people think of you in that way," he said. "I just see it is a bit of running, raising the money is the achievement."

He has also been invited to an award ceremony organised by JustGiving, the online platform he used to raise the cash, after he was ranked in the country's top three fundraisers. Voting has now closed and Gary will find out the result at a ceremony in London on November 21.

Gary started fundraising for Macmillan in memory of his late father Victor, who was diagnosed with lung cancer 20 years ago and passed away in 2003 from an unrelated illness.

His next challenge is to run the 112 mile Fred Whitton cycling challenge in May 2018.