An ambulance controller who went above and beyond the call of duty has helped raise more than £10,500 for a charity by running in the London Marathon.

Chris Delaney, who is an area controller at the emergency operations centre in Bow, finished the 26.2 mile course in a respectable four hours and eight minutes.

He took on the challenge with 14 other London Ambulance Service staff, who all wore purple vests to support the Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity set up to tackle knife crime in the capital.

There were 112 service staff on duty at the marathon, working with 1,200 volunteer first aiders from St John Ambulance, to provide medical help to athletes, fundraisers and spectators.

Chris said: “I would thoroughly recommend running the marathon. It was a great day and a fantastic experience.

“The crowd and the atmosphere were amazing, especially in the last six miles when you are starting to struggle. It gives you a much needed boost.

“The total amount raised by myself and my colleagues for the Ben Kinsella Trust is staggering and running for such a great charity made it all worthwhile.”

Ann Radmore, Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service, said: “I am very proud of the Service’s staff who trained hard for months in order to take part in the marathon and managed to raise over £10,000 for the Ben Kinsella Trust.

“I’d also like to thank the Service responders and St John volunteer first aiders who helped make the day safe for runners and spectators.

“The Service voted to fundraise for the Ben Kinsella Trust in February and our staff have seen first hand the consequences of knife crime and we are proud to support a charity doing such important work in the capital.”