Kind-hearted Claire will run marathon in memory of grandad

She will be raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support’s appeal for a new treatment centre in Chesterfield.

Twenty-four-year-old Claire, from Matlock, will run the half marathon in Sheffield on April 10 in memory of Alfred Wagstaffe, who suffered from lung cancer.

She said: “When I was young my grandad was taken from us by cancer. Macmillan were there right at the end of my grandad’s life to offer pain relief and moral support for both him and our family.”

She is also running for her nan and fiancé’s grandma who have both been given the ‘all clear’ from cancer.

Claire’s nan, Joan Booth, was diagnosed with breast cancer ten years ago and her fiancé’s grandma, Phylis Higton, was diagnosed with it aged 81, both had a mastectomy.

She added: “Phylis received treatment at Weston Park and had a lot of support from Macmillan during her therapy sessions and mastectomy. She is now a happy, healthy 84-year-old.

“I have never done anything like this before but after hearing about the amazing things happening at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and I wanted to help raise money to ensure others get the support my family had. I opted for a half marathon – mostly because I knew that this would challenge me, as I’m not much of a runner. This was all in hope that if people could see how much commitment and struggle went into this run they would dig deep.”

Claire said she would not have been able to do this without the support her partner Zak, her family, friends and her colleagues at BHP Chartered Accountants.