|PIC1|Oasis founder Steve Chalke MBE has set a new Guinness World Record after smashing Sir Steve Redgrave's record for fastest earning sportsman in yesterday's Flora London Marathon.

Chalke bounced back into the record books after raising well in excess of £1.8m in sponsorship and completing the marathon in 3 hrs 58 mins and 40s. He became the fastest-earning sportsperson in history, earning at a rate of almost half a million pounds an hour - more than the world's ten best-paid footballers put together.

All the money raised will support work with disadvantaged individuals and communities.

In 2005, Steve became the official record-holder for the most money ever raised through a marathon, raising £1.25m for the work of Oasis, the charity he founded in 1985. But in 2006, Sir Steve Redgrave set a new world record after raising £1.78m.

Chalke was able to confirm on crossing the finishing line of yesterday's Flora London Marathon that his sponsorship total before the race began was already £1.85m - and that with his team still counting the cash, he could eventually top the £2 million mark.

The money will go to the work of Oasis, which works in ten countries across the globe with some of the world's most disadvantaged people. Oasis delivers pioneering housing, healthcare and educational initiatives that bring transformation to both individuals and whole communities.

Steve paid tribute to all those who sponsored and supported him, and said the money raised would bring huge benefits to individuals and communities in the UK, and beyond.

"It feels great to have recaptured the World Record from Sir Steve Redgrave. He is a great inspiration, but I wanted to get out there and beat him both in terms of time and, much more importantly, money - because every penny that I have raised through the sacrificial giving of so many people will go to change lives and help transform whole communities," he said, holding his official medal.

Projects that will benefit from the money raised for Oasis on this year's Flora London Marathon include the five new Oasis academies currently being developed around the country, the first three of which open this September.

Other projects include a new youth and community centre in Clitheroe, Lancashire, supported housing projects in Peckham and Croydon, work with gang members in central London, and transition support work with young people who are identified as being at risk of exclusion from school.


Chalke's new record is now awaiting verification from Guinness World Records.