Lisa Richardson, 43 from Cheltenham took on the London Marathon last month inspired by the cancer diagnosis of one of her friends and the care given to others to raise funds for local hospice care.

Despite never having run before, Lisa, who lives in Charlton Kings, completed the course in six hours and 19 minutes.

Lisa was inspired to run for the hospice after her friend Amy Allen was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer at the age of 33.

With Amy as her fundraising campaign manager the pair have raised near to £7,000 for Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice – one of the highest amounts raised for the Sue Ryder charity nationally.

Their efforts secured Amy a grandstand ticket so Amy could be with Lisa at the finish line on the big day too.

However, a couple of days before the race, Amy became too poorly to travel to London to cheer Lisa on.

In response, Sue Ryder made sure Amy was a big part of the virtual cheering taking place over social media throughout the marathon.

Following the marathon Lisa popped into Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court hospice to show off her London Marathon finisher’s medal with Amy, and the fundraising team awarded Amy her own medal for being such an incredible supporter.

Lisa added: “It was a real rollercoaster before the race with Amy being so unwell, but I was so encouraged by all the support and kind words. What a day it was too! Going through my Twitter feed from the race left me feeling so, so emotional.”

“I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for their support in the run-up to the marathon; you've been great. Sue Ryder is a wonderful charity and Leckhampton Court Hospice in Cheltenham relies on donations to continue its invaluable work. The hospice is important to me both personally and professionally so I wanted to raise as much as I could.”

Amy said, “When Lisa said she was going to take on the London Marathon I never doubted it for a second.

“I watched the race from home, which was not quite where I had planned on being to watch but I was left feeling so proud and emotional at what Lisa had achieved.

“I was tracking Lisa online with some London Marathon treats she had left for me, and there

was much celebration when she passed the finish line. I couldn’t get there this year, but maybe another time. I just need to convince Lisa to do it all again!”

To donate to Lisa’s Marathon fundraising challenge visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/LisaRichardson-London2017