THE director of the a recruitment firm which sponsored this year's Worcester marathon and half marathon has raised £600 for St Richard's Hospice.

Ben Mannion, who works for the event sponsors Hewett Recruitment, took part in the event on Sunday and despite suffering with a bad back in the last few weeks, he still completed the race in two hours and 23 minutes.

It is the third year running that Hewett Recruitment have sponsored Worcester’s only marathon and this year’s race saw an increase in runners from last year over both distances.

Mr Mannion, aged 32, who did some of his training for the race with Free Radio’s Hursty, said: “One of our main drivers for sponsoring the Worcester Marathon and Half Marathon was to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice.

"On a personal note, I’ve enjoyed the training with Hursty and even the race itself, because the atmosphere was amazing and all the runners got into the spirit of the event.

“It was a brilliant event and something Worcester should be very proud of. I am really pleased with my time and more importantly with the money I was able to raise for such a great cause.

"A big thank you to all those people who came out to support the runners as well – your backing was a great boost when bodies were starting to ache.”