105-year-old still in the running at Shrewsbury's Anytime Fitness centre

The marathon maverick was on hand to celebrate, as well as inspire.

Although retiring from competitive running at the age of 102, Mr Singh could still teach us all a thing or two, remaining physically and mentally active through daily exercise, raising money for charity and imparting his wisdom on others.

Mr Singh, who visited the county on Saturday, said it was a "great honour" to be invited along as guest of honour to the centre to celebrate its first year.

He said: "I still enjoy going places and meeting people and to meet people in a place like this is wonderful. I believe places like this are like a hospital in some ways because they keep you healthy.

"Money is important, material possessions are important but not as important as health because if you don't have your health, you can't enjoy those things. That's why places like this are good."

Mr Singh, who only ran his first marathon at the age of 89, cited the death of his wife and son for the reason he got started.

"I needed a way of dealing with my grief but I also needed a purpose, and running gave me that," he said. "After being made aware of a cancer charity after I moved from India to the UK, I was told they wanted to raise money, so I thought to myself I can help."

From then Mr Singh went on to raise thousands of pounds for charities all across the world.

"It gave me a purpose, I was not feeling well health wise but then God came to help me, to take on this mission," he said.

Despite being an avid fundraiser, Mr Singh said he had no use for money personally, choosing to lead a simple life, believing his longevity is down to that.

He revealed some of the secrets to his good health include eating little, exercising by walking to visit places of worship daily, spending time in good company – and starting the day with tea every morning.

He added: "I'm happy, I've seen everything I've wanted to see."