23 April 2017 is the date of the London Marathon. It’s definitely too late to get a place in the marathon, but there’s still plenty of time to organise your marathon-watching marathon party!

This can also be a good way to raise money for your favourite charity - for example by holding a sweepstake on the winning time, giving a small prize to the person who gets closest and donating the rest of the entry fees to a charity.

Fancy dress makes a marathon party into a real laugh, not least because it reminds everybody of the amazing fancy-dress wearing runners who astonish us every year. Top picks for a marathon party include a giraffe fancy dress outfit or, if you’re half of a couple, that old favourite the 118-118 twins complete with printed vests and crazy wigs.

Marathon food is easy too - ‘Tower Bridge cobbles’ can be made by packing burger buns together on a tray and drizzling them with garlic butter before cooking, red, white and blue popcorn always goes down brilliant and of course mini sausages with mustard sauce are always a popular treat. Try serving mashed potato in an ice-cream cone with a sausage stuck in the side as an easy to eat but very patriotic snack.