A St Neots mum is running the London Marathon to raise money for a cancer charity and to mark her 10th anniversary of surviving the disease.

Louise Turner, 45, will be joining thousands of runners on the starting line on April 26 and is raising money for Cancer Research UK.

Louise, who has a three-year-old daughter and lives in Cromwell Gardens, was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2005.

Louise, a teacher at Huntingdonshire Regional College, who describes herself as a reluctant runner, took to comfort eating after her treatment for cancer, but took up running three years ago to get in shape.

“At the start, even walking a minute and running a minute was difficult but I improved gradually,” she said.

“Somehow I survived a half-marathon and then I did another and thought I ‘actually like this distance’.

“I applied for my place in the London Marathon and when I heard I was successful I thought, ‘What have I done?’ Now I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Louise went to her GP in late 2004 with swollen glands and after a series of tests, a scan, and a bone marrow biopsy she was diagnosed with cancer.

“When I was diagnosed it knocked me for six, people I told were shocked – you expect cancer to happen to someone else,” she added.

“When I first went to see the consultant he said: ‘Ten years ago I would have said there’s nothing we can do but today we can treat you. Who knows, maybe in 20 years we’ll have a cure.’ That stuck with me and that’s why I want to raise money for future research.”

More than 40,000 runners will take part in this year’s London Marathon and Cancer Research UK hopes to raise about £2.5million.

INFORMATION: If you would like to sponsor Louise, go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/bigbird26.