CARPET company MD, David Judge, was a winner with his fellow employees after raising more than £5,000 for charity by taking part in the Flora London Marathon.

For David, from Cormar Carpets, of Greenmount, Bury, put his money where his mouth is when he offered to personally match each cash sponsorship by fellow employees

"I thought that by equalling people's donations it would encourage them to be more generous," said David.

The charity to benefit is Physically Handicapped Able Bodied -- a charity that is devoted to helping physically handicapped people lead as normal life as possible. "My mother has always been involved with physically handicapped children, so it is a charity that is close to my heart," he said.

"This is the first time I have run the London Marathon and the whole event was terrific. To hear the crowds cheering is a tremendous boost. I set myself a target time of four hours, which I achieved. However, next year I am setting my sights higher and aim to complete it in a faster time."

David has been bitten by the "running bug". Where he once used to run one mile a week, the dedicated runner can easily knock up 40-plus. This year, he also plans to participate in the Great North Run and either the Dublin or New York Marathon in November.