Martial arts enthusiasts are getting ready to grapple in a 24-hour marathon to help people suffering with a life-long bowel condition.

Brazilian jiu jitsu academy Gracie Swindon raised almost £2,500 for Crohns & Colitis UK two years ago and is hoping to beat that on September 17.

One of the coaches, Jake Sworder, suffers from the condition, and he's not the only one.

John Walsh, from the group said part of the aim was to create awareness of the condition and the sport at the same time.

"We plan to have lots of different things going on with some of the students doing a barbecue and other family members doing lots of backing," he said.

"We have arranged an ice bath for after the event to help with the recovery as there will be some very tired legs.

"We also have some of the younger students doing their own small challenges for the charity such as 30 bear crawl and we have Jake’s son doing a 100-minute round when a normal round would be five minutes."

He added: "Living with a chronic illness can be stressful and overwhelming and with a number of people at the academy affected by Crohns we felt it was charity close to us. "

The event at Newport House in Old Town starts at noon on September 17..

Crohns & colitis affects males and females of all ages. It's an inflammatory condition that causes painful ulcers and swellings in the gut and although it is lifelong, it can be managed with medication.

Research conducted by Crohn's & Colitis UK this year suggests one in every 123 people in the UK have either Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. This amounts to a total of nearly half a million people in the UK living with IBD.

Anyone who wants to support Gracie Swindon's fundraiser can do it online at justgiving.com/fundraising/gracieswindon24hour

Visit crohnsandcolitis.org.uk for more information about the condition.