“The atmosphere was great,” said Elliot Espinoza, a first-time runner for Kisharon in the Royal Parks Half Marathon earlier this month when Chief Executive Bev Jacobson and husband Alan joined nine supporters who raised a tremendous £10,000.

Elliot ran with his girlfriend Sophie Englander and her father David, and together they raised £5,000.

He said: “I ran the Silverstone Half Marathon in March with Sophie but this was my first half marathon at my pace. The atmosphere at the Royal Parks was better, because there were more people. Particularly at the finish, the atmosphere gave me a real boost.

“I didn’t train as much as I should have. I did the odd long run, but I didn’t do any short sprint or hill training which would have helped my time.”

Other runners for Kisharon were mother and daughter Danielle Donne and Miranda Shemen, Gary Behar, Dean Ricklow, Michael Yattah and Gemma Posner.

After the event, Bev said it had been “uplifting to meet the wonderful individuals who chose to push themselves physically to raise money to support Kisharon’s vital community services.”