The Mayor of Brent has raised around £8,000 for a Cricklewood charity after running his 11th London Marathon and 27th overall.

Cllr Bobby Thomas, swapped his ceremonial chain for his trainers in support of Ashford Place in Ashford Road, which was formerly Cricklewood Homeless Concern.

The father-of-four has raised a total of more than £43,000 for good causes by competing in the 26.2 mile race in London, Kingston-Upon-Thames, New Forest, Harrow and several others overseas.

He completed Sunday’s race in five hours 11 minutes.

He said: “I started off by joining a running club at work, going out for 15 minutes at a time and it built up from there.

“Once you start running I’ve found you can’t stop. It’s a very therapeutic form of exercise and really helps to clear the mind.”

Ashford Place was established in 1983 by a group of local residents to help vulnerable and homeless people in the area get back on their feet. The charity’s services include youth sport programmes, employment, housing, mental health and substance misuse support.

Danny Maher, Ashford Place CEO, said: “ It’s great to see a public figure involved in such a renowned event.

“We’re grateful to Cllr Thomas for his enthusiasm, commitment and stamina.”