A FORMER York schoolboy who has gone on to become head of the Government’s aid programme in Kenya has raised more than £3,000 for charity by running the New York Marathon.

Alistair Fernie plans to donate the money he has raised to Save The Children’s Kenya food crisis appeal.

The head of the Department For International Development’s aid programme in Kenya said: “This might seem small beer compared with the £15 million my office has contributed to humanitarian relief in Kenya this year.

“But there is something uniquely satisfying about giving personally too. You become more aware of the difference small amounts of money can make to individuals, families, communities.

“Kenya has some of the worst rates of child malnutrition in the world. This year poor rains have led to crop failure, and water sources and pasture have dried up.

“Save The Children is feeding the most vulnerable children and mothers, running mobile teams in isolated areas, and helping families to support themselves. But there are still tens of thousands of acutely malnourished children who are not getting help.”

Alistair, who grew up in Wigginton and attended St Peter’s School, ran the New York marathon last year too. His wife had recently given birth to twins. “But at least I was living there at the time. This year I flew a 30-hour round trip to experience the agony of the five boroughs one more time,” he says. He had good company, though. “Along with the usual band of elite Kenyan runners, a group of Maasai tribesmen raising funds for conservation with actor Edward Norton made the long trip from Nairobi.”

The 39-year-old’s time in the event, last Sunday, was a creditable three hours, 24 minutes and 33 seconds – putting him 3,953rd out of over 40,000 finishers.

To his delight, he even managed to pass a Maasai tribesman on Fifth Avenue, at 23 miles. “One of them said to the press afterwards that, used to softer ground underfoot, he had ‘found the roads quite hard on the feet’,” Alistair said. “I know how he felt – but it was worth it.”

• To contribute to Alistair’s fundraising for Save The Children, visit justgiving.com/fernie