Woman takes on first London Marathon in memory of late father

The memory of her late father has inspired a South Wootton woman to take on the London Marathon – and raise money for the charity that supported her family during his illness.Jane Proctor, 37, will join thousands of other runners in the capital next month and will be raising money for Norfolk Hospice Tapping House.Staff from the charity cared for Lynn man Bob Proctor – a former teacher at Gaywood Park – in his final days before losing his battle with prostate cancer in January last year, aged 75.

Jane said: “From the moment he arrived to the moment he died on January 13, the care and support not only he received but my mum, sister and I received was amazing. Every single member of staff goes above and beyond for every single person.”For the first time in a long time, we were able just to be his family and not his carers and Dad was able to die with dignity.“Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and they made the most heartbreaking of times much easier to handle.”Every step was explained and every need was met. It didn’t matter the time of day or night they made everything possible and Dad was comfortable and pain-free.”This is my way of trying to give something back to the people who helped Dad so much in his final 10 days.”Jane, who is better known for plundering goals for Pelicans Ladies, is relishing the prospect of swapping her hockey boots for running shoes as she treads the pavements of the capital.“I have done virtual marathons but not the proper London Marathon – this is the final big challenge at the end of my year of challenges,” she said.”The London Marathon is the biggest event and is very daunting, but also very exciting.”I did the Holkham half 70.3 triathlon in July as I promised Dad before he died that I’d do it in his memory as it was an event very close to his heart. So I thought I’d make a year of it and do as many events as I could.”Running for the charity that gave us as a family so much in such a short period is a great honour but I think it will also be very emotional running for Dad.”

Jane, an assistant head of year at KES Academy, has set herself a target of £2,000 as she continues her challenges and fundraising exploits in the months ahead.”Training has been hard as I’ve experienced several injuries, but taking out the pressure of a set time and raising as much money as I can has taken some of the pressure off and made me look forward to it once more,” she said.You can donate to Jane’s chosen charity Norfolk House Hospice Tapping House by visiting: justgiving.com/page/jane-proctor-1689497335812Do you have a story for the Lynn News? Email newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk