SOUTHEND United legend Adam Barrett insists he is ready to tackle his biggest challenge yet.

Barrett - who made 354 appearances for the Shrimpers - will be running the London Marathon in April to raise funds for Havens Hospices.

And the 39-year-old is keen to raise as much money as possible for the charity who cared for his mother June towards the end of her life.

“For some reason I’ve always wanted to do the marathon, although I’m not really sure why,” said Barrett.

“But I’m really pleased to be running it for Havens.

“I’ve been an ambassador for Little Havens for a while now and I’ve raised money for them in the past but I’ve seen first hand what Fair Havens do because they were absolutely fantastic with my mum.

“Unfortunately she lost her brave battle with PSP disease in November 2017 but Havens were just amazing with my mum and the whole family, especially my dad.

“He was my mum’s carer for the last seven or eight years and he was amazing.

“Havens helped us all and with them working on the new building I hope to raise as much as possible for them to say thank you for all that they did.”

Barrett, who remains an extremely popular figure with Blues’ fans, is already up to 18 miles in training.

But finding time to fit in the longer run is proving problematic.

“Finding the time to do the training runs is the hardest things,” said Barrett, who is now first team coach at Millwall.

“You’re not just popping out for half an hour, it’s a long time and it’s tough. I wouldn’t say I’m enjoying it and I’m not sure I’ll do many more marathons but it’s nice to have that challenge.

“For 20 years I trained to play and it’s nice to be training for something again.”

And Judy Grocott, the events manager at Havens Hospices, is thrilled to have Barrett among their marathon runners.

“By taking part in the London Marathon for us, Adam is helping us take the next step for adults across South East Essex with life-limiting illnesses,” said Grocott.

“On behalf of us all at Havens Hospices, thank you Adam, it’s because of supporters like you that we are going to be able to create a larger, modern hospice in Southend that can care for twice as many patients.

To sponsor Barrett visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AdamBarrett10