'Bionic woman' tributes paid at million-pound ball

Claire Lomas took part in the Great North Run wearing a "bionic" suit in 2016

"She could light a room up with her smile - she just got people doing things they wouldn't normally do."

Tributes were paid to the life and legacy of "bionic woman" Claire Lomas during a charity ball at Prestwold Hall near Loughborough to mark fundraising in her name topping £1m.

Ms Lomas, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, began fundraising after a 2007 horse accident left her paralysed, with her efforts including completing the 2012 London Marathon in a robotic suit.

She died following a microlight crash in Jordan in 2024 having raised £952,000 for Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation - but her total was taken past £1m by the efforts of her friends and family.

The Make It A Million Ball on Friday was meant to be held for fundraising in her honour - but after the milestone was reached at the Great South Run in October, instead best friend Stuart Hall said the event became "a celebration".

Earlier this year, Ms Lomas's husband Dan Spincer and Mr Hall completed three wheelchair challenges, the Great Manchester Run, the Great North Run in Newcastle and the Great South Run in Portsmouth.

Dan Spincer and Stuart Hall have completed three running challenges in wheelchairs

Mr Hall - who took part in 11 challenges alongside Ms Lomas before her death and then continued this summer - recalled announcing the million pounds had been reached before the third race.

He said: "Nobody else knew - so when we got to the Great South, on the start line it was announced that we'd got to a million pound.

"It made it even more special."

Mr Hall said fundraising would continue but he would like to focus now on keeping "Claire's memory alive".

He said: "She inspired myself, and all the messages we get, so obviously she's still carrying on inspiring people, and that's what's important to me now.

"She could light up the room with her smile, she was so positive, determination was above everything else and she just got people doing things they wouldn't normally do."

Before her death, Ms Lomas raised £952,000 for charity

Mum Joyce Lomas, who also took part in the Great South Run this summer, joked that her daughter would have "absolutely hated" the ball.

"She loved raising money," she said. "We've made the million now. I don't know what's going to happen next, let's have a bit of a breather I think and see what Stuart's got in store.

"We're all part of it. One of the main reasons I wanted to keep going was to keep all our friends together.

"It's a reason to keep seeing each other and keep doing things."

Ms Lomas's mum Joyce said the next plan was to "have a breather"

Ms Lomas was told she would never walk again after she was thrown from her horse at the Osberton Horse Trials in 2007 but a suit with mechanical legs, called ReWalk, helped her to take her first steps again at a rehabilitation centre in East Yorkshire five years later.

The suit used braces to support the legs, motors to help rotate joints, weight and sensors to help control movement.

Ms Lomas was the first person in the UK to use the ReWalk suit and wore it to complete the 2012 London Marathon in 17 days.

She used it again to complete the Great North Run in 2016, earning the nickname "bionic woman" for her achievements.

Ms Lomas was also selected to light the Paralympic flame in 2012 and was appointed MBE in 2017 for her fundraising efforts.

Mr Hall previously said he and Mr Spincer sat out in Jordan on the day Ms Lomas died, and vowed to get a £1m legacy for her.

An inquest into Ms Lomas's death is due to take place at Leicester Town Hall in April 2026.