Laura Nuttall family to run marathon for charity

Laura Nuttall's mum (left) says her daughter (right) was strong and incredible

The mum and sister of late cancer campaigner Laura Nuttall are training for next month's Chicago Marathon, to raise money for the foundation set up in her name.

Laura, of Barrowford, Lancashire, was diagnosed with brain cancer aged 19 and made headlines after ticking off a bucket list of ambitions before her death two years ago.

Her mum, Nicola, and sister, Gracie, are training even though Gracie has a joint issue, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. "If she'd had that diagnosis before we started I think we wouldn't have started," her mum said, but added: "We'll get round it one way or another."

They are raising money for the Be More Laura Foundation and a charity Gracie works for called Sibling Support.

Gracie (left, pictured with her late sister Laura) works for a charity called Sibling Support, which helps young people whose brother or sister has died

Ms Nuttall, who died aged 23, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, following a routine eye test in 2018.

She went on to work her way through her list of ambitions, including meeting Michelle Obama, commanding a Royal Navy ship and graduating from the University of Manchester.

"Laura had done a marathon, so Gracie felt it was about time she put her trainers on and followed in Laura's footsteps," her mum told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"She's actually in a lot of pain and she can only train for short amounts of time, so it's not gone to plan."

They are also taking some of Ms Nuttall's ashes to Chicago as it "was a very special place to her, so it's a bit of a pilgrimage as well as a marathon".

She said the prospect of running the race on 12 October was "a bit scary", but "everything we do is for Laura really, because she was just such a strong girl.

"She was just incredible."