A GAMER has used his passion for virtual reality to raise hundreds of pounds for charity.

Alex Mullings, from York, spent 24 hours playing games on his computer, earning £451 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the process.

Mr Mullings, who works for the charity, came up with the idea to play continuously when he heard about similar events in America where fans of video games meet up to raise money for causes of their choice.

The 28-year-old said: “It was really good fun.

“It got a bit tough in the last couple of hours but I had a lot of support from friends who kept playing games with me, and my other half was kind enough to keep making me cups of tea. A lot of this is done for American and Canadian charities, but I wanted to do it for something homegrown.

“The original idea was to set up a live stream of myself playing games but when I spoke to my friends we decided that if I wanted to play a game at some point during the 24 hours they would just join in.

“I’m a great fan of video games and they have been a part of my life for 25 years, but if I was going to do this again I wouldn’t do 24 hours!”

Sally Millington, Macmillan fundraising manager for York, said: “This is such a brilliant fundraising idea.

“Not everyone can run a marathon or hike up a hill, but people can take on their own challenge.

“At Macmillan we want to be able to reach everyone who is affected by cancer, and we can only do this with help, and every penny that Alex raises will help us be a step nearer to making sure no one faces cancer alone.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/macmillangamingmarathon/