A STOURBRIDGE man has raised £5,000 for the British Heart Foundation after completing the London Marathon.

James Stockle was among the thousands of runners who took part in the 26-mile event yesterday (Sunday April 22).

Mr Stockle completed the marathon in four hours and six minutes.

After crossing the finish line, he said: “Taking part in the London Marathon was a huge challenge and an incredible experience.

"The atmosphere on the day was brilliant and I am proud to have been part of the Heart Runners team for such an iconic event.

"Knowing I was running for a wonderful charity made me determined to succeed.

“It was fantastic to have everyone there cheering me on and to know that my sponsorship money will help the BHF raise funds for life saving research to bring new hope to the seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.”

Mr Stockle took on the challenge after his granddad was diagnosed last year with congestive heart failure which affects the pumping power of the heart muscles.

He was among 400 British Heart Foundation Heart Runners taking part in the marathon - trying to raise nearly a million pounds to help the charity better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory disease.

Karen McDonnell, events manager at the BHF, added: "Without the dedication and commitment of people like James, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK."