Torchbearer: Emdad Rahman is to carry the flame before the Paralympic Games open

A keen runner who has completed four 10k races is set to take part in the Paralympic torch relay next month.

Dad-of-three Emdad Rahman, 37, has been selected to carry the torch before the Paralympic Games open in Stratford on August 29.

The education adviser raised more than £500 for the Whitechapel Mission, a homeless charity, when he ran his fourth British 10k in central London on July 8.

Mr Rahman, of Aldersey Gardens, Barking, said: “It’s wonderful. When I started work aged 19 I did a lot of work with disabled service users at a day centre.

“I also used to work as a disabled home help when I was younger. I’m really pleased to run.”

The Paralympic torch relay will start in Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire on August 28 and end in London between August 29.

It will see the Paralympic Flame carried 87 miles by 580 torchbearers.

It will visit a number of iconic London landmarks, including Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square – which will host live entertainment and sport screened throughout the Paralympic Games.