Firefighter Duncan Pickles' hot-footed round the streets of London and raised £2,000 for the National Asthma Campaign.

His wife Alison and both their children, Rosie and Duncan, are among family members who suffer from the complaint so it was a natural choice for sponsorship when he tackled the recent London Marathon.

The 38 year old from Ogden Lane, Denholme, was running his first marathon. "It was quite an experience and I was pleased with my time of four hours 23 minutes," he said. "I was feeling fairly bad around the 16-18 miles mark but I perked up at 20 and finished full of running.

"I'd like to say a big thank-you to all the people who helped and sponsored me," added the fireman, who is based at Bingley.

n Duncan is pictured handing the cheque over to Shirley Houldsworth, of Asthma's local support group.

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