Former Diss High School student to honour mum's memory at London Marathon

A former Diss High School student will honour her mum’s memory when she runs the London Marathon next month.

Lila Aid decided to take on the challenge of the world’s most famous street race in memory of her mother, Denise Webster, who died in August, aged 57.

“Mum had a real community spirit, and was well-known in the area, having worked as a secretary at Dickleburgh Primary School for almost 10 years,” she said.

“She loved spending time with friends and family and played badminton at Stradbroke and Debenham.

“She was always doing things. Even when she got diagnosed, she went on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads.

“She was always active and strived to make the most of life.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Miss Aid is aiming for a finishing time of under four hours, having trained hard for April’s event.

“Getting around the course is the main thing, obviously, but I’d like to hit my target time if I can,” she said.

“Mum got me some new trainers, only I wasn’t accepted for the London Marathon last year, so couldn’t run it before she died. This year, I have the opportunity to honour her memory by doing it.

“It’s a personal goal of mine to run a marathon, having never done it before.

“This is the biggest thing I’ve done to honour mum’s memory, but I know we will have family get-togethers to remember her too on what would have been her birthday.”

Miss Aid, who is hoping to raise £2,500 for Pancreatic Cancer UK, will be cheered on by her family, who have been a huge support in the wake of her mother’s death.

“My grandparents have been fantastic over the past year, helping me with everything,” she said.

“They have been my rock of support and I don’t know how in the world I would have got through having to arrange everything after mum died without their help.

“My grandmother took a church collection to help me raise money and I know other family members have helped a lot in getting me the funds raise up to this point.

“My grandparents have helped me through everything, and they’ll be my biggest supporters for the marathon.

“I know they’ll be watching it on the television and following the app to track where I am on the route, which will spur me on.”

Runners at the London Marathon raised more than £37 million last year on the Just Giving platform alone, which was a 43 per cent increase on the previous year.

In 2022, the event saw 42,000 runners take part, with hundreds of charities represented.

Few will have a more personal reason for running, or a more important connection to their represented charity than Miss Aid, as she runs the testing 26.2-mile route through the city on April 23.

With a little over three weeks before the big race, Miss Aid has so far raised in excess of £1,000. To make a donation, go online to www.bit.ly/3ZscSkf.