Covid-19: Man runs in memory of mum a year after her death

A year after his mother died from Covid-19, a man has run 30 km (19 miles) to the school where she used to be the headteacher.

Christine Marshall died on 29 January 2021 after 18 days in intensive care in Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

Son Andy, not allowed to see her, ran 10k every day in the days before her death, raising money for the hospital.

His run on the anniversary of her death, finishing in Chippenham, involved a pause at her memorial.

Mr Marshall-Aherne started his run on Saturday with a minute's silence for his mother, with friends and family outside his Bristol home at the exact time she died - 11:20 GMT.

He then ran, supported by fellow runners, to her memorial tree in Westerleigh Crematorium to lay flowers, before continuing on to her former primary school - Ivy Lane Primary in Chippenham.

"I was never a runner before my mum went into hospital but for me I felt it was a good way of marking my mum and a good way of raising some funds for a really good cause," he said.

Once he had crossed the finish line at Ivy Lane school, he said it had been a "really emotional" day.

"She [his mum] would have been really pleased and really proud of me, and it's really nice to be here at Ivy Lane where my mum spent a lot of her time," he added.

His running efforts have so far raised nearly £10,000 for the Southmead Hospital Charity.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]