A COLDRIDGE man completed his 23rd consecutive London Marathon and his 50th Marathon overall on Sunday, April 21.

Ian Webber actually ran 27.48 miles (even though the marathon is officially 26.2 miles) in four hours and 26 minutes.

He was raising money for Hospice UK, the national charity for hospices and end-of-life care that supports the wonderful work of hospices across the UK.

Ian says it is a charity close to his heart and it is one that he has supported for the last number of years.

He has been supported in his fundraising for various charities over the years by his wife, Jayne, and between them they have raised for the various charities, £78,464.

Ian has so far this year raised more than £2,200 which he said was a blessing and a relief as the minimum to raise for Hospice UK is £2,000 for his place.

Ian said: “We are so very thankful to have incredible supporters. Thank you all for your donations so far.

“We still have promised donations to come and of course, the Virtual Silent Auction (ends April 30) to add to our overall fundraising figure. 

“Together we can make a difference to those people whose lives are touched with cancer and other life-limiting conditions.”

You can view the items in the Virtual Auction on the Event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/Lgm78DVbPPxFazoN/ .

During the marathon Ian did 1.2 miles of “high fives” with children along the route and he also had a chat along the way with the “Eastenders” duo when they were filming.

Afterwards he enjoyed a cuppa and sit down at the Hospice UK Post race reception which he said was a chance to say hello to the fabulous HUK team. 

He and Jayne also heard from a friend that Ian’s finish line was on national TV.

If you would like to donate, Ian and Jayne’s fundraising page is: www.justgiving.com/page/ianwebberlm2024 .

Recognised as one of the world’s favourite marathon’s, it was a record breaking year with 50,000 taking part and it being one of the biggest events to raise money for charity, £63 million for various charities last year.