A campaigner is getting his running shoes on to mark the would-be 60th anniversary of a library closed last year because of funding cuts.

Paul Lorber, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Brent, will complete a 60km run over the course of four days from June 1 to commemorate Barham Park Library, which closed last year.

He said he didn’t want the milestone anniversary, which would have been on May 31 and coincides with the Queen’s Jubilee, to be forgotten.

He said: “I will be running a kilometre for each year. It’s quite a shame that the library was shut down just a few months shy of its 60th birthday.

“On the final day of the run, I will be greeted by members of the Sudbury Residents Association, who are holding a Diamond Jubilee party in Barham Park.

“It’s going to be an amazing feeling and I will be very relieved to finish – as they will all be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee, I’ll still be sat trying to catch my breath.”

He says he has been training every two days with his friend, Ironman competitor Peter Corcoran, who will join him on the four-day run. The pair are currently mapping out the best routes to take. Last year, the duo raised £1,000 at Brent’s Fun Run & Walk for library campaign group Friends of Barham Park and he says he would welcome more sponsors for the latest run.

The councillor says he is confident that this year, the run will go smoothly providing that typical British weather does not spoil the day.

He added: “I am very passionate about these libraries, and we want to show the council how much we need a library in Barham Park.”

To sponsor him, eopmail barhamlibrary@hotmail.co.uk.