SIX months ago, Arthur Lockyear of Colwall was told he should never run again - but on Sunday, he completed the London Marathon in five hours and 40 minutes.

Doctors warned Mr Lockyear that his running days were over after he suffered a deep vein thrombosis in September.

But after a careful training regime, he was fit enough to complete the famous 26-mile course around the capital.

Lockyear, aged 36, said: "My time was obviously slower that it would normally have been but I'm glad to have completed it.

"I had to go to the St John Ambulance 16 or 18 miles in when my leg started to ache. I was worried about the thrombosis obviously, but it was only cramp and I carried on.

"The last mile or so I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. The support you get from the crowd is incredible. They read the name on your shirt and shout encouragement."

Mr Lockyear hopes to raise £5,000 in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity, in memory of Jon Brookes, the drummer of his favourite band, the Charlatans "I've got a lot of sponsorship to chase up, so I don't know yet how much I've raised," he said.

Catherine Lloyd, 39, of Walnut Crescent, finished in four hours 44 minutes.She said: "It was unbelievable, like nothing I've experienced before. It was an overwhelming and emotional experience, even when it was painful."

She also raised £2,400 for Harrison's Fund, which promotes research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The charity is named after Harrison Smith, aged seven, of Surrey, who suppers from the condition and is the son of a close friend of Ms Lloyd's.

She said: "They came to cheer me on and it was a great feeling."

Another runner was Sylvia Burrows, 56, of Hampden Road, who ran the race in aid of Mary's Meals, which sets up school feeding projects in poor countries in.

She said: "I had a problem in the last few miles and I didn't finish until after the cut-off time of eight hours, so I didn't get an official time. But I still got a medal, and I'm proud that I finished.

"I also raised over £1,220, which will pay for school meals for 100 children for a year."