NEARLY 4,000 free school lunches will be provided for poverty-stricken Ghanaian children thanks to the efforts of a Ramsbury runner who successfully completed the 33-mile Marlborough Downs Ultra Marathon on Saturday.

James Higgins, High Street, completed the event, which had 3,000ft of climbing across rural Wiltshire, in six hours and 13 minutes and in doing so raised £755 in aid of Action Through Enterprise.

Initially the 30-year-old teacher and travel blogger had set his sights on raising £300 for the charity, which would have bought 1,500 meals for children who would otherwise not be able to go to school due to hunger, but as he raised more than double that, now 3,775 lunches will be provided.

"I am so thrilled to have done this and raised this much for a great cause. My motivation came from all the people who donated, the support from family and friends on the route, and pushing myself beyond the road marathon distance I had done before," he said.

"It was a great route, amazing scenery and perfect weather conditions. The lack of rain meant it was really hard and underfoot and tough for me to run on as I am not used to running off road!

"Most of my knee I will need to pick up from the canal towpath, just outside Devizes. It was agony."

Mr Higgins was inspired to raise money for the charity because his mum Sara Thompson, a volunteer bookkeeper for the charity, told him about the good work the charity does in a part of the world where poverty levels are high.

The free school meals will go to hungry children in Lawra, Upper West Ghana. To donate visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jameshiggins1