Blanche puts on her running shoes for nurses trust

Blanche Seymour, aged 63, set off with 7,000 other entrants to tackle the 8.5 mile route around Sutton Coldfield and Sutton Park.

With the crowd completely behind her, Mrs Seymour managed to walk around three miles before the hot weather and exertion got the better of her.

“The support from people standing the route and clapping was brilliant and I’m so grateful that people cared enough to turn out," she said. "I was beginning to wilt and one family of spectators gave me an ice cream. That was so lovely of them.”

Mrs Seymour,, who lives in Church Hill, has so far raised approximately £115 for Cavell Nurses’ Trust, which supports nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants across the UK during times of hardship and difficulty.

She said: "I'm the cleaning lady at Cavell’s offices and really wanted to help them in any way I could. I admire Edith Cavell and it was the NHS that sorted me out and got me moving again. My replacement hip has given me a new lease of life and I wanted to thank the nurses who got me mobile.”

Mrs Seymour, a former civil servant, is hoping Cavell Nurses will raise funds at the St Andrew’s Church summer fete on June 14 at Church Hill Centre, her local church, which she will be supporting by serving cream teas.

Redditch-based Cavell Nurses’ Trust has embarked on its biggest ever fundraising campaign with a target of £3 million by October 2015, the centenary of the death of Nurse Edith Cavell.

The charity has launched its Centenary Appeal aimed at doubling the number of people it supports. Cavell Nurses’ Trust was originally set up in 1917. Many members of the public sent donations in memory of Edith, who was shot during the First World Wa, and these formed the foundation for the charity which still operates today as Edith’s living legacy for caring and learning.

For further information about Cavell Nurses' Trust, please visit cavellnursestrust.org or call 01527 595999.