A BASINGSTOKE man raised thousands for charity by running the London Marathon last weekend.

Andy Brace, pictured, 35, raised over £3,000 for Sands (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity) when running the 26.2- mile challenge, along with 47 other runners who ran for the benefit of Sands.

He finished the marathon in five hours, raising part of the charity’s target of £100,000 that will be used to support bereaved parents, improving bereavement care and promoting research to reduce the number of babies dying.

Dr Clea Harmer, chief executive of Sands, said: “We’d like to say a big thank you and congratulations to each and every one of our fantastic London Marathon runners.

“We simply wouldn’t be able to continue our work to support bereaved parents and anyone affected by the death of a baby without people like Andy and our team of runners.”