A CALSTOCK woman is preparing to tackle the famous London Marathon to raise money for the Royal British Legion, in support of service personnel, veterans and their families.

Rita Hoile will be one of 130 brave runners aiming to complete the gruelling 26.2-mile challenge in aid of the Legion on Sunday, April 24.

Rita, aged 66, said: ‘This will be my third London Marathon and tenth marathon in total. I have two aims, one is to enjoy the sights and the atmosphere of this iconic event – so I have no time target and the second is to raise some money for the Royal British Legion. My father, who died in 2008, was an ex-serviceman and my mother, who passed away in August last year, also supported them.

‘Dad, John “Jumper” Collins, served in World War II and with the Glorious Gloucesters in the Korean War where he was taken prisoner and held for three years before being released. The photo shows him and mum at a welcome home reception. He remained an active member of the Korean Veteran’s Association for over 50 years.’

She added: ‘This will be quite a challenging time for me because I will be running the Plymouth Half Marathon on April 17, then the London Marathon on April 24 and the weekend after that I will be on the Isles of Scilly taking part in the World Gig Rowing Championships with Cothele Quay Gig Club. After that I will be having a well-earned rest! I would like to thank all my running buddies, two-legged and four-legged (Danny and Cooper pictured), for supporting me on the long training runs.’

Charles Byrne, director of fundraising at the Legion, said: ‘We’re thrilled that Rita is taking part in the London Marathon for the Royal British Legion. I know how long and hard the training is and wish her all the best. We’ll be down there on the day cheering all of our runners on! The money raised from the marathon makes such a huge difference to service personnel, veterans and their families who rely on our support throughout the year, so I’d like to thank all of our runners and wish them the very best of luck!’

Rita doesn’t have a fundraising target and will be grateful for any donation. To donate to Rita’s London Marathon fund, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RitaCHoile or pop into Levines shop in Calstock for a sponsorship form.