An Abergavenny woman is set to run the London Marathon tomorrow in memory of her mum who died suddenly in August 2020.

Ruby Burniston, 28, is running the TCS London Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation. She said: "My mum Tracey dedicated many years of her life to bringing up myself and three sisters. After which she went to work at the primary school in Ewyas Harold, inspiring and helping so many more children in the local community.

"She passed away suddenly in 2020 from heart disease and I wasn’t aware of pre-heart attack signs or symptoms. I’d like to raise awareness for this. It was also in a difficult time of covid and lockdowns and appointments and treatment were delayed."

BHF fundraising manager for south east Wales Carys Jenkins said: “We're so grateful to Ruby, and everyone taking part in the marathon this year. With your donations, we're raising money for one of the most exciting fields of research - regenerative medicine. We're aiming to fund breakthroughs and find cutting edge new treatments for people living with heart disease.”

You can support Ruby at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ruby-Burniston1

Ruby is joining three other Welsh women and head of BHF Cymru Rhodri Thomas at the marathon. As well as running the marathon on October 2, he’s also set himself a personal challenge to run 52 half marathons through 2022, in support of the BHF.

He said: “Together we hope to turbo-charge pioneering research into regenerative medicine – including the development of a Heart Healing Patch, which could save and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide affected by heart failure. Every single step we take will power science with the potential to heal damaged hearts. We’re extremely grateful to everyone taking part in this year’s marathon for the BHF and I can’t wait to join them in celebrating after the finish line.”

To support Rhodri go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RhodriThomas52in2022

The BHF has identified nine regenerative medicine research projects to benefit from the money raised at this year’s London Marathon.

These projects aim to find ways to regrow, repair and replace damaged heart muscle and blood vessels - and could one day find a desperately needed cure for heart failure.