A keen runner from South East Cornwall has started training with her mother as she prepares to tackle the TCS London Marathon to help raise money for children’s charity the NSPCC.

Millie Meech, from Gunnislake, will run her first ever marathon when she pounds the streets of the capital for charity.

The 23-year-old will be running the event with her mother Lynn and said that she was looking forward to the challenge.

“For years I would run as a side hobby and used to run four or five times a week, but after college and university I didn’t do it so much, but have now picked it up again,” she said.

“We watched the London Marathon on TV and thought that we should give it a go. It will be my first marathon and I am really excited.”

To prepare for the big event Millie will this month tackle the Eden Half Marathon at the iconic Eden Project in Cornwall, but her main focus is for April next year when the London Marathon takes place.

Millie will be running for the NSPCC and helping to raise funds for services which protect and keep children safe.

She said: “The NSPCC is a really good cause. We were all kids once and the NSPCC is an excellent reason to be running. I have always supported the charity and all the work it does to protect children and young people.”

Millie, who runs a watersports equipment company, has been running around her local area in preparation for the marathon. She said: “Training is going really well, we are at half marathon level now, which is where we want to be.

“My family are super excited about us tackling the TCS London Marathon and we have had really good support from them. I am really excited about it. It will be an amazing experience and I am emotional just thinking about it.

“I have had a really good response to my fundraising so far and have already raised quite a lot in just a couple of months and hope to reach my target.”

If anyone would like to sponsor Millie to run the TCS London Marathon go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Emily-Meech2

If anyone is interested in running the TCS London Marathon for the NSPCC the registration fee is £100 and we ask that you raise at least £2,200. If you want to join #TeamNSPCC then go to www.nspcc.org.uk/charity-events/charity-runs/tcs-london-marathon