A GRANDAD who completed his mission of running 500 marathons for charity has been made an MBE.
David Phillips from Claverdon has raised more than £135,000 for neurological charity The Brain and Spine Foundation by taking on the marathons.
The 75-year-old – who has ran a total of 13,000 miles – took up running in 1982 and since then his hobby has taken him all over the world from running between the pyramids in Egypt to the skyscrapers of New York.
And he is ‘grateful’ someone put him forward for the MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours.
The granddad-of-three said: “It really is pleasing to have so many people congratulating me.
“I don’t think I deserve their thanks because what I did was to help other people less fortunate than me but it really is nice and I feel humbled when they say ‘well done’.
“Now I will carry on with life as it always has been and try to continue making the world a better place.”
The chartered accountant – who still continues to work full time at his Kenilworth-based company Phillips and Becker – ran his final marathon in Stratford last year.
At the time the dad-of-two said it had been a pleasure to support the Brain and Spine Foundation.
He said: “It seems ages ago I started my quest, too long ago to remember.
“I wanted to support this amazing charity and the work they do for people suffering from neurological conditions, brain tumours and associated conditions. They are only a small foundation and need all the help possible to carry out their goals.”
