A man who completed four London Marathons in four years has been named fundraiser of the year by the charity he ran on behalf of.

Nik Sandars, aged 64, has raised more than £8,000 for Support Dogs.

Support Dogs trains assistance dogs for children and adults with autism, epilepsy and a variety of medical conditions, enabling them to lead safer, more independent lives.

Nik’s third London marathon for Support Dogs last year became a virtual run around his Cotswold home, but this year he was back, pounding the streets of London, in glorious weather cheered on by live crowds.

“It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, I did my best ever time, and the crowd was fantastic,” says Nik, from Moreton in Marsh.

“Support Dogs is a fantastic organisation, and I’ve seen the difference their dogs can make to a child with autism; it’s extraordinary. The demand for their dogs outstrips supply, so if I can contribute more funding for more dogs and just be a tiny piece of the jigsaw, then I’m very happy to do that.”

Nik, who runs his own consultancy company, has not yet committed to running a fifth London Marathon for Support Dogs, but as his youngest son Ed is interested in taking part, father and son may end up running together in 2022. “It would be great to make it £10,000!” he adds.

Rita Howson, chief executive of Support Dogs said: “We rely entirely on public donations to fund our life-changing work, so we’re incredibly grateful for Nik for all the money he’s raised for us. For everyone family we help, a further 50 are in need of support we can’t give them because demand for our services is so high. A massive thanks to Nik, who’s a worthy winner of our fundraiser of the year award.”