A RUNNER raising money for Meadow House Hospice in Southall has smashed his target and raised nearly five times the amount.

Joe Derrett decided to pay tribute to his late friend Paul Woodgate, by raising money for Meadow House Hospice which is where his buddy passed away from cancer.

He thought the best way to do that was to run, which was something both he and Paul shared a love for.

At the same time his runs took him past every Premier League ground in London, another touching tribute to his mate who loved the 'beautiful game'.

Joe's inspiration for the challenge came from an article he read by self-confessed 'running geek', Des Linden, who ran a mile for each calendar date throughout October, which she called 'Destober'.

The media manager aimed to raise £465 for the hospice by running the corresponding number of miles for each day of the month, reaching 465 miles by the end of last month.

Despite being diabetic, Joe not only succeeded, but he raised £2,330, which is over five times the intended amount.

Not only that, but he promised to double the amount of money raised by the fundraiser.

He said: "Paul was never someone who did things by half so I think he would approve.

"I think we were all impressed with the care Paul received at Meadow House in his final weeks.

"Everyone was very kind and I wanted to show my thanks by raising money for the hospice."