COLLEAGUES have raised £6,500 for the British Red Cross by completing the London Marathon.

Mick Hilton and David Burton both work for Johnson Matthey, a chemicals company that has plants in Stockton and nearby Billingham.

Mr Hilton, 38, from Stockton, said the Red Cross had been chosen because it reached so many people worldwide.

He said: “I recently attended a first aid course here in the UK, but they also do a lot of overseas work, from international emergency support following the Chinese earthquake to helping trace missing people after the Australian fires.”

Mr Burton, 30, from Darlington, said a minor knee injury reduced him to walking pace for the last eight miles so he was half an hour slower than last year.

He said: “The second half of the race actually took me three hours, but I still enjoyed taking part and have entered the ballot for next year.”

To help the Red Cross, go to redcross.org.uk