A KENDAL actress and musician is set to run the London Marathon in memory of her grandmother.

Lauren Storer was inspired by her grandma Heather to take on the gruelling 26-mile challenge to raise money for Sense, the deafblind charity.

The 26-year-old said: “My grandma was a massive inspiration to me. She was partially sighted and hearing impaired in her final years, but she did some incredible charity work, in spite of her disabilities.

“I feel that I owe it to her to give something back by supporting those who need a little extra help to pursue their dreams.”

Lauren, who has never run a marathon before, has been training six days a week: “The hardest thing about training is going out when it’s raining, snowing, or just cold.

“But I love how free running makes me feel – once I get into a rhythm, I find it really clears my head.”

She says that running in and around her home town of Kendal is ideal.

“There is nowhere in the world as beautiful as the Lake District,” she added. “In my head the most difficult bit is mile 20 – having run for 19 miles and knowing that I still have over an hour left.

“Thinking of my grandma will always get me through any walls I hit during the event, so will knowing that Sense will be able to help so many people with the money I raise.”

Her friends and family have been really supportive of her first marathon attempt. “I think they were all quite surprised at first – I’ve never been very sporty. But I know they’re quite impressed with my dedication to the training and I hope I make them all proud on the day.”

Lauren Storer wants to raise £2,000 for Sense and people can sponsor her and help support deafblind people to enjoy some of the things that most people take for granted.

Visit www.justgiving.com/laurenstorer or text STOR86 £(amount) to 70070.