A MARTIAL artist has punched his way to fundraising success after completing an endurance challenge in support of a five-year-old who is battling a brain tumour.

Combined with a dance-a-thon run by Emma Mallam and her Motion Control Dance crew, dad-of-five Ian Bishop raised more than £700 in support of Lacey-Mae and her parents Rob Spong and Donna McClelland by throwing punches for five hours and 15 minutes straight.

At Barry YMCA Mr Bishop, 48, of Barry Road, recorded 22,500 punches, landing 75 punches per minute.

He said: “A week and a half later and I’m still recovering. My hands, even with gloves on for over half the challenge, have suffered badly, covered in blisters and cuts. I’ve a big blood blister on my hand. It was like punching glass.

“With 22,500 punches completed, my back, my legs and feet, shoulders and forearms and biceps were all shot to pieces, but I'm very happy.

"It was more difficult than running a marathon – it’s all heart and lungs.”

Funds raised will assist the family of five-year-old Holton primary pupil Lacey-Mae, who returned to school in January, following her brain tumour diagnosis last year.

The money raised will enable her family to buy sensory toys, a special thermometer, and anything else she needs.

Mr Bishop, the founder of his own Transporter Street MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) concept, is an award winning martial artist.

The former bricklayer has said he was inspired by Bruce Lee and began boxing, aged nine, when his father introduced him to the sport to overcome his shyness.

The former bricklayer progressed to martial arts.

In December last year Mr Bishop raised more than £5,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support and martial artist Peter Fawbert, who is currently ill, by performing 4000 martial arts techniques in three hours.