Co-owner of Lakes hotel to tackle London Marathon

Caroline, co-owner of the Cedar Manor Hotel, will be breaking some fundraising targets when she runs the race - her very first marathon.

Her efforts at London and in last autumn’s Great North Run look like netting a massive £6,000 for the charity Lupus UK.

Caroline raised £2,761 at the half marathon distance last year, when the sponsorship set by the charity was just £300.

Her tally was the highest in the UK for Lupus UK, and she is now in the top five nationwide among all charity fundraisers using the Just Giving online scheme, heading to more than double that total.

Friends, family and hotel guests have been supporting her efforts and buying raffle tickets. The winning ticket will be picked when Caroline crosses the finishing line on April 26.

“I wanted to do a marathon before my 50th birthday, and I’ll manage it by just a couple of weeks,” she said. “My daughter Natalie was diagnosed with Lupus when she was 15, six years ago. I hadn't heard about the condition and it's still little known.

"Lupus is an incurable disease whereby the immune system attacks the body, and its organs; the skin, blood, brain, heart lungs are affected and it manifests itself in different ways.

“Natalie is a sufferer but appears normal and has a "normal" life, with what we call flare-ups, when the disease attacks her. She has a special doctor who looks after her at St Thomas's Hospital London. So it’s really important to me to help Lupus UK research causes and possible cures.”

Janine Hirsch, fundraising manager for Lupus UK said: “When Caroline ran for Lupus UK in the Great North Run, the sponsorship set was £300 so to raise nearly £3,000 is absolutely fantastic.

"Caroline is now undertaking the world’s most prestigious event, the Virgin London Marathon and we wish her the very best of luck. Lupus UK can only continue our work if people like Caroline take part in these events and raise the wonderful sponsorship that she has done."