RUNNERS who took part in the London Marathon to raise money for a hospital have been celebrated for their efforts.

A special reception, hosted by Trust Chairman Frank Collins and Bev Tabernacle, deputy chief executive and director of nursing, was held at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) earlier this year.

Four of the 25 runners were RJAH members of staff, while 21 were members of the public who wanted to raise funds for the specialist hospital.

They are thought to have collectively raised a figure of around £50,000.

Staff who ran the marathon for RJAH included Louis McDonald, project manager; Victoria Hall, assistant practitioner; Ashling Donohoe-Harrison, radiography support worker; and Ben Carter, inpatient booking clerk.

Louis, who ran in the marathon in 4:16:00, said: “This my third marathon and I was hoping for a personal best time of around 3 hours 50 minutes; however the record breaking heat did stop me achieving that.

“The streets of London were buzzing and the crowds were simply amazing from start to finish.”

Victoria, who crossed the finish line at 5:05:16, said: “I loved the whole experience; it was extremely hard-going in the heat but also absolutely incredible.

“I’m so glad I was able to raise funds for RJAH – as a member of staff here in the pre-operative assessment department it just made sense.”

Bev Tabernacle added: “I’m so impressed with how the team managed to run 26 miles on what was the hottest London Marathon on record.

“We are delighted that so many members of the public, and staff members, decided to raise funds for RJAH so a huge thank you to each and every one of them.”

RJAH are now looking for runners willing to support and take part in the 2019 London Marathon.

There are around 26 charity places available and anyone interested can find an application form and more information on the dedicated marathon section of the Trust website at https://www.rjah.nhs.uk/marathon