Specialist sports socks made in Sutton helped to keep their creator’s feet blister-free as he completed a gruelling six marathons in six days challenge for charity.

Ben Lowe, account manager at sock manufacturer SockMine, and his friends Jason Easy and Katie Bell, who both work for the BBC, have so far raised £14,040 for charity during their effort, which culminated at the London Marathon.

The trio raised the cash for the Light Fund, the licensing industry’s fundraising body, which raises cash for charities including the Children’s Trust, Challenge Africa, the Orchid Cancer Appeal, and the New Life special care babies’ charity.

SockMine is part of Roy Lowe and Sons, a textiles manufacturer that was established in 1996 by Ben’s father, Martin, and his brother, Tim.

Although the company stopped manufacturing in the UK in 2006 and outsourced its production to the Far East, when Ben joined the company in 2013 SockMine was born and production returned.

The firm manufactures specialist technical socks for a range of sports, from running and cycling to skiing and equestrian. They are designed to keep the wearer’s feet cool, dry, comfortable and injury-free.

Ben won the national Meet the Manufacturer Innovation Accelerator award in 2016 for his GripLock™ socks concept – an innovative technology which reduces friction between the foot and the sock, reducing the chance of blisters.

He said: “It has been the ultimate test of our GripLock™ lightweight socks, and the results are promising.

“I’m pleased to say that aside from a swollen ankle and a couple of blisters between my toes, my feet are in pretty good shape and blister-free where the GripLock™ technology was in place.”

The trio started their trek when they ran the equivalent of five marathon distances – 131 miles – along the Grand Union Canal, which links Birmingham to London.

On the final day, they took part in the London Marathon, with Ben and Katie completing the course in just over five hours, and Jason managing three hours and 42 minutes.

Ben, 26, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who has supported us throughout the challenge, especially all those who were generous with their donations.

“My family and friends were a great support, as were my teammates, Jason and Katie, and my dad, Martin, who was our driver, coach, motivator and in charge of supporters’ logistics throughout.”

To donate go to www.justgiving.com/6marathons6days