Aster Group colleague to run 240km in memory of friend

A local woman has pledged to run two 10km races every month throughout 2021 in memory of her friend who lost her battle with cancer last year.

Victoria Goddard, who lives in Market Lavington and works for local housing association Aster Group, will run a total of 240km over 12 months in memory of her running friend, Lynn Everson, by raising money for Secondary1st, a small charity researching secondary cancer.

Victoria has already completed six virtual races and will complete two more in April. Her first ‘live’ race event will take place in May, when she runs the popular Two Tunnels route in Bath.

Victoria said: “In November 2020 my wonderful friend Lynn Everson lost her battle with cancer. She was an amazing mummy, wife, sister, daughter and friend. One thing we did together was run along with our friend Elaine, calling ourselves ‘sisters with blisters.’

“My final run will be on her birthday in December. Secondary1st is a small charity that are researching into secondary cancer in the hope that one day no one else has to lose an amazing person like Lynn.”

A spokesperson for Secondary1st thanked Victoria for her fundraising and said: “Secondary1st funds vital research into secondary breast cancer, which kills almost 1,000 women every month in the UK.  Secondary breast cancer occurs when cancer cells in the breast travel to other organs in the body such as the liver, lungs, bones or brain to form new tumours; this is secondary or metastatic breast cancer and there is currently no cure. 

“Secondary1st is run entirely by volunteers so that 95% of the money raised for us is available to fund the research that is so urgently needed.”

Victoria is a team leader at Aster Group and has benefitted from the housing association’s match funding pot to boost her overall total by £250 to £852.

To donate visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/VickyGoddard2