A Gravesend man completed the London Marathon after his mum underwent life-saving treatment for a brain haemorrhage.

Mark Mooney, 35, who lives in the Denton area of the town, has raised more than £3,000 for The National Brain Appeal as he ran his first ever marathon in three hours and 19 minutes.

Mr Mooney was with his mum Vivian Mooney when she collapsed in June last year – and she had surgery on her brain to drain the blood she had collected.

Despite the successful surgery, the damage to the 60-year-old’s brain was extensive and doctors prepared Mr Mooney and his dad Malcolm for the worst.

However, Mrs Mooney’s road to recovery began with her loved ones right beside her hospital bed.

Mr Mooney said: “The first thing we noticed was mum’s gaze following our movement.

“Then after four weeks in hospital dad asked her to stick out her tongue and she did it straight away, then he asked her to grip his hand, then wiggle her toes – she did both.

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(left to right) The Mooneys: Malcolm, Vivian, Mark

“This was the first response we had had from her in almost a month. It was such a huge relief.”

Mrs Mooney was transferred to Darent Valley Hospital in January – and arrangements were made to set her up at home after five weeks.

Mr Mooney also praised staff at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery for taking care of his mum.

Mr Mooney added: “It is going to be slow but hopefully steady incremental steps towards recovery for mum.

“She may not fully recover but we do feel that she is improving day by day.

“She has problems with her memory but does remember things like names of people and pets.

“You can have a good conversation with her ‘in the moment’ so to speak.

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“She’s always in good spirits and still has her sense of humour.”

Click here to visit Mr Mooney’s fundraising page.

Almost 40,000 runners flocked to Greenwich on Sunday for the start of the 36th London Marathon.

Starting from Blackheath and Greenwich Park, the 26.2 mile route snaked through Charlton, Woolwich and Cutty Sark before looping back through Deptford and towards Tower Bridge.

A Stormtrooper, a dinosaur, and an elf were among some of the crazy costumes making 2016 another record-breaking year for the iconic road race.

Others running the race back on Earth managed to rack up 30 records, with participants dressed in wacky costumes out in force.

Dave Cooke, from Dartford, ran the fastest marathon wearing chainmail in five hours 45 minutes and 51 seconds.