TREASURER of Ducklings Pre-School Playgroup in Stoke Climsland Gerard L'Arbalestier ran 22 laps of the village on Saturday — the length of a marathon — raising £800 in the process.

Gerard, who said his first real piece of exercise was a half-marathon in August, battled the wind and rain to complete his challenge in eight hours.

'The first ten laps went quite quickly,' he said. 'The final 12 took some time but it was okay as I had lots of support from parents and children doing the laps with me, including my son Jarvis on his scooter.'

The money raised will be split between Ducklings, which recently received an 'outstanding' Ofsted report, and the Sue Ryder charity in Lincolnshire. Gerard's best friend and Red Arrows member Matt Jarvis, after whom his son is named, received care from the charity before he died of cancer.