A MAN who ran his first race since having a heart attack three years ago has raised more than £700 for a homeless charity.

Bill Reed raised the cash for Blackburn-based homeless charity Community Spirit, by taking on a five-mile race in Warrington.

The 57-year-old ran for the first time since he suffered a mild heart attack in the Ron Hill Accrington10k in 2016.

Mr Reed said: "When I heard my friends at Community Spirit needed help with their provision for those facing a food poverty or homeless crisis, I knew I had to get involved.

"I understand that £1800 a year is needed to run the weekly soup kitchen and that much of this has already been found.

"I’m also aware there is much more money needed to ensure that hungry and street homeless people from across the area get the help they need throughout the year.

“I feel honoured to be part of this appeal and it goes without say my original target of £500 has been well and truly smashed.

"At the last count more than £700 had been raised and money is still pouring in.

"I’ll be delighted for it to be used to make up the shortfall for the soup kitchen, and to make sure those who are street homeless also benefit from my efforts.”

The charity has raised more than £1,500 in two weeks during their appeal to help fund themselves.

Neil Mistry, chairman of Community Spirit, said: "We are absolutely blown away with the response to our appeal.

"We’ve known Bill for many years and learning of his plan to raise money for our ‘friends’ is definitely the icing on the cake. #

"We want to say a massive thank you to Bill, and to all those who’ve listened to, and read about Community Spirit and recognised what we do.

"We realise that fundraising isn’t just about money, it’s about building solid relationships with those who help, and we feel we’ve certainly done that during this campaign."