IT was a hot but successful day for marathon runners from the Devizes area on Sunday. Charlotte Hickey who dressed as Lindt – a coconut flavoured Lindt ball – raised £5,000 for charity in memory of family friend Alan Harrington but missed the Guinness Book of World Record title in the fastest confectionary item category.

She said: “The day was amazing, unfortunately the record breaking heat but a stop to any record breaking, but I was determined to get around the course in full costume and celebrate the reasons behind doing this marathon - I succeeded in this.I’ve raised over £5,000 which is incredible. I am overwhelmed by people’s generosity and kindness.”

The money will go to Dorothy House Hospice and The Emmy Coates Thyroid Research Fund at the Royal Marsden Hospital.

Three men from the same family also completed the course to raise money for two charities. Brothers Paul and Andrew Buckingham were running for the Institute of Cancer Research and Paul’s son Charlie raised cash for the Helen & Douglas House hospice in Oxford after it looked after his close friend Harry Dodds, who died six years ago. Paramedic Louise Cox completed the course in 6hrs 15mins which was slower than she hoped because of the heat. She said: “I am delighted to have crossed the line. I ran in memory of my friend and colleague Kathryn Osmond who I completed the 2007 London Marathon with, it turns out i've done the two hottest London marathons in history.”

Gino Zabeo a chartered accountant from Patney, near Devizes, who was raising money for Children with Cancer UK, after a colleague’s son died of the disease, also found the going hot. A spokesman for the charity said: “He did well. He finished in 5 hours 37 min. He struggled through the heat and with an injuiry to his right hip that was exacerbated in his final week of training.”