DETECTIVE Sergeant Nick Bailey who was left critically ill after being poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok is taking on a marathon challenge to say thank you to the "amazing" staff at Salisbury District Hospital.

DS Bailey was exposed to the nerve agent after attending the home of Sergei Skripal in Christie Miller Road on March 4, after the Russian former spy and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious in the city centre.

But after becoming unwell, he was taken to Salisbury District Hospital, where he remained for almost three weeks.

He will be taking on the Salisbury Marathon, which is part of the 5-4-3-2-1 event, to raise money for the Stars Appeal.

On his Just Giving page DS Bailey said: "In March 2018 I was poisoned by a nerve agent whilst at work. I was admitted to the Radnor Ward at Salisbury District Hospital, an intensive care/ high dependency unit.

"I was fortunate to be able to walk out of the hospital a couple of weeks later and this is down to the skill and determination of every doctor, nurse and member of staff on the ward.

"They truly are an amazing group of people that spend their days trying to save the lives of critically ill people."

He added: "My recovery is taking time, but I have decided to try and repay them in whatever way I can for their first class care.

"So, on the 11th of August I'll be running in the Salisbury Marathon, raising money for the Radnor Ward through the Stars Appeal. I know this will be be a challenge for me, but it will be nothing compared to the challenge that our amazing NHS staff face each and every day.

"If you could spare a little, anything at all, I would be very grateful."

Last month, Wiltshire Police confirmed DS Bailey had returned to work.

More than £4,400 has already been raised on the Just Giving page.

In response to the support he has already received, he said on his Just Giving page: "There are no words to describe how grateful I am to each and every one of you.

"I’m humbled by the generosity and to reach my target in such a short space of time is just incredible.

"But I’m not going to stop there. The staff at SDH are wonderful people who, day in day out, work tirelessly to save lives and make a difference. We are very lucky to have them. So let’s keep this going and see how much money we can raise for Radnor Ward."

To donate click here.