A SCHOOL caretaker from Evesham has raised £250 for Acorns Children’s Hospice by running the Birmingham Half-Marathon in less than two hours.

Johann Importante, who once famously helped to save Swan Lane First School from fire after raising the alarm early, took part in the event on October 24, finishing in one hour and 56 minutes.

He said: “When my daughter Judy was nine years old, she was very unwell and was paralysed. She is 14 now and is better but I remember how poorly she was so I wanted to do something to help other children. I started running last year when I joined the Evesham Running Club and took part in as many events as I could.

“I wanted to test myself by running the half-marathon and I’m looking forward to running a full marathon next year.”