Governor streets ahead of rivals on London Marathon donations

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has twice the pulling power of Barclays boss Antony Jenkins - in the charity fundraising world at least.

With less than a week to go until the London marathon, Mr Carney has raised more than £61,000 in donations for Cancer Research UK, twice the £29,000 notched up by Mr Jenkins for the same charity, the duo's online fundraising pages show.

As well as donations from friends and family, the two men have attracted support from a gaggle of prominent financial figures including HSCB chief executive Stuart Gulliver, former BoE governor Mervyn King and former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Ross McEwan.

The biggest donation publicly visible is the £2,500 from McKinsey's global managing director Dominic Barton to fellow Canadian Mr Carney. Another £2,500 donor to Mr Carney was listed as anonymous, while several wanted both their donation and names hidden.

The average amount donated to Mr Carney was £846; Mr Jenkins' average donation was £157. Mr Jenkins had many more individual contributions, with 161 donors as of 5pm on Tuesday, against Mr Carney's 66.

Some questioned whether it was proper for Mr Carney, who has run the Ottawa marathon, to raise donations from bankers at institutions he oversees.

"We are happy for Mark to raise as much money as possible - a number of people have already been very generous," a spokesman for the Bank of England said.

Andrew Whiley, head of communications at Pensions & Investment Research Consultants, said jokingly: "The banks have received many charitable donations from the exchequer since the financial crisis, so it is only fitting that they give a very small amount back for a very good cause."

Mr Carney's page offers glimpses of bankers' humour. Former BoE deputy governor Charlie Bean writes, "Glad to know that central bank governors take the long view in running too" and "Sterling effort" was posted by donors described as "John and Jenny".

"An example of irrational exuberance? But I like the cause," quipped London economist Professor Charles Goodhart, a play on a phrase coined by former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan to describe frothy markets.

Some stuck with simpler greetings. "Well done Mark. You look fit enough to record a great time. All the best. Ross," said Mr McEwan.

Mr Carney is braving the London marathon for the first time. "The training is hard and the marathon will be a real test, but I am motivated by all of the support I have already received and the hope of being able to count on your generosity for this important cause," he wrote on his Virgin Money page.

Mr Jenkins is a veteran. "Having run the London Marathon before, I'm very aware of the challenge awaiting me, but your generous support for a great cause will hopefully drive me on to the finish line," Mr Jenkins wrote.

Additional reporting by Martin Arnold

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