Impressive London Ambulance Service team go the distance to raise £30,000 for charity

Ten inspirational #TeamLAS runners faced gruelling heat as they took on the record-breaking London marathon this weekend – raising more than £30,000 for the London Ambulance Charity.

Thousands of runners took on the iconic racing event across the capital this weekend, with our 10 runners raising money for the charity to fund wellbeing initiatives for staff and volunteers out on ambulances or in control rooms answering 999 calls, and life-saving first aid training for communities all over London.

Despite temperatures reaching 22C, making it the fourth hottest marathon on record, the event set a new world record for the number of finishers. One of those was London Ambulance Service Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles who raised more than £10,000 for the charity.

He ran the race in 4 hours, 29 minutes and 5 seconds. He said: “The London Marathon is one of the biggest events LAS helps provide care for each year. It takes hundreds of staff members and a lot of work and effort to organise response to ensure the safety of participants during this amazing race.

“For the past few years, I’ve cheered on those running the race on behalf of LAS, and joined our incredible heroes in green on duty as they care for the capital during this landmark event. But this year, it felt extra special to be one of those involved in running the race on behalf of London Ambulance Charity –this is a cause that means so much to me and which does so much to help all those working at LAS.

“I want to offer a massive congratulations to the other runners – as well as a huge thank you to everyone who donated! Over the course of my time at LAS, I’ve seen the incredible impact of the charity for our staff and taken part in several fundraising events. It feels wonderful to be able to contribute and take part in the marathon!”

Jessica Burgess, Head of the London Ambulance Service Charity, said: “We are so incredibly proud of all of the runners, and especially our runners, in this amazing event. The weather was amazing yesterday but for those involved it added an extra challenge – but I feel amazed that they managed to participate and represent LAS so well!

“As a result of their dedication and commitment, we are able to help the paramedics within our service, offering them wellbeing help and assistance when they need it, which in turn helps them to offer the best standard of care to Londoners each and every day.”

Sporting enthusiasts will be turning their talents to a fundraising afternoon of Dragon Boat racing in support of the charity in July. To find out more about this amazing event and for more information about supporting London Ambulance Charity please visit www.londonambulancecharity.org.uk

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• A special thanks to all those who contributed, including AJAR Technology, LGCS, Transformation Nous, A&D Industrial Doors, Avatar Electrical Ltd, IDEA, Coniston Limited, Fletchers Facilities Ltd, Siemens Healthineers GBI and Epsom Medical Society.