A seasoned runner has not only conquered cancer, but also triumphed in a half marathon to raise money to support those with the illness.

Dotty King, a well-known Tavistock retailer, runner and running coach, had emergency surgery on her tongue and neck in the summer last year and required a second operation last November to finally clear the tumours.

Now the health food shop owner and cake baker, of Bere Alston, has completed a major 13-mile milestone in her recovery by finishing the Weston-Super-Mare Half Marathon on Sunday, October 19 in aid of The Swallows head and neck cancer charity.

Dotty showed her famous resilience by enduring wind and rain and delighting her watching husband Phil to finish much quicker than she expected. She has thanked her sponsors who have donated more than £1,800 to the charity.

She said: “It was a wet and windy day with the course being mostly flat with a few sneaky hills. Sometimes you have to just keep going, be strong and believe in yourself."

“I would like to thank everyone that has sponsored and supported me through not only the half marathon, but also during the past 12 months. I‘m so grateful for the sponsorship and love and support I received for the half marathon and for the past year.”

Dotty named her former cancer Tony to demystify and reduce fear surrounding it: “The half marathon draws a line under Tony, I am done with him.”

Customers of De La Torre's shop and her store, Dot Teas Wholefoods, and friends and family have raised funds for The Swallows.

Dotty battled her way back to health after the debilitating affects of surgery and follow-up treatment. Inspired by her, the community rallied behind a run in aid of Stand Up To Cancer staged by a bullied teenager supported by Dotty.

She then embarked on doing everything necessary to help her recover, including immersing herself in her thriving business, embarking on gym strength work and taking up open water swimming (overcoming a lifelong fear).

She also marked self-styled ‘glad to be alive’ periods with special activities to celebrate her survival from cancer. An important part of her recovery was the company of friends during her social training runs.

The Swallows Charity supports all people affected by head and neck cancers, patients, carers friends or relatives. The patient is the focus for support, help and signposting, however the role of carers and others is vital too, with their own support needs often overlooked. It is the charity’s intention for every person affected by head and neck cancer to have access to support at the point they need it and by the method off their choice on a 24/7 basis. This could be by telephone, email or social media.

Dotty can be sponsored in aid of The Swallows, at her shop or via this link, until Friday, October 31: https://www.justgiving.com/page/dotty-king