Woman raises £6,500 in memory of her friend
A LANDLADY from Hinckley has raised £6,500 in memory of a longtime friend who died of a brain tumour.
Sue Summerill ran the London Marathon in 5 hours 57 minutes 43 seconds, in the last leg of her fundraising efforts for Brain Tumour Charity.
She has been raising money for the good cause since her close friend Maureen ‘Mo’ Hunt died in 2017.
She said the marathon challenge round the capital was made harder by the hot conditions: “I dropped my pace to cope with the 24C temperature.
“It was hard and I saw a lot of people pull out, but the support for the crowds is indescribable.
“Every corner you turn was something new; a man with a trumpet, a steel band or just crowds cheering you on.”
Sue, 52, said of her fundraising work: “I met so many people touched by this illness over the year and had so much support not only in cash but support on all my fundraisers like pub quizzes, raffles, car boots, to people just pipping and waving as I run by.
“Maureen was a good friend for many years.
“She played a big part in my life and showed me how to enjoy life.
“This is my way of saying goodbye.
“I will continue to run but for pleasure for now though I’d never say never again to London, it was simply amazing.”
Her running efforts included taking part in the Bosworth half marathon on May 13 which she finished in two hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds, the Robin Hood half marathon in September 2017, which she completed in two hours and 32 minutes, and the Leicester 10K.
Sue manages the Pestle and Mortar micro-pub on upper Cas- tle Street and held pub quizzes to raise funds, as well as raising around £300 by selling DVDs at the venue.
The New Plough Inn on Leicester Road, a favourite pub of Maureen and her husband Roy, held a quiz night to support the cause, raising £620.
Roy and Maureen’s son and daughter attended the event, who live in Burbage. Maureen is also survived by four grandchildren.
A car boot sale added another £166 to the pot, with Brookfield Signs and Designs in Burbage providing a banner for the event.