A PAIR of Knutsford sisters are taking on the London Marathon next month, with family the motivation pushing them on to complete the 26.2-mile course.

Daisy and Pheobe Heath-Abbott are coming to the end of their training for the endurance run, raising money for disability charity Scope in memory of their late mum and in support of their two brothers.

After their mum passed away in March following a lengthy battle with cancer, the sisters – neither of whom are experienced long-distance runners – signed up for the challenge alongside Daisy’s best friend, Emily.

Daisy said: “I have known Emily since I was three, and her dad is actually a doctor who treated my mum. We just thought – what can we do for charity?

“Emily is running it for Macmillan, but we wanted to run it for Scope. Both of our brothers have a genetic disorder and are disabled, and Scope tries to create equality for this. In the last year of my mum’s life she became paralysed, and so we have first-hand experience of that.

“She was heavily involved with children with disability needs – she was a volunteer at Greenbank and was involved with a charity called Integrate. She was always a very strong force.”

Having run a number of 10km events in the past, this new challenge is proving tough to tackle, with both Daisy and Phoebe picking up injuries as they ramp up the training.

Daisy said: “My sister and I have both sustained quite a few injuries and had a few setbacks, but we have been working to get our diets in place and haven’t been drinking alcohol this year.

“Originally we were looking at sub-four-and-a-half hours, but it’s not until you do the big runs you realise how trying it is on the body – it’s so much harder than I would have imagined. If I do it in sub-five I will be happy.

“The biggest thing is doing it for my mum and brothers – that’s my biggest driver. On these long runs I just want to stop, and I just think ‘this is for them’.

The girls are aiming to raise £4,000 for Scope, which strive to create a country where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Visit justgiving.com/Daisy-HeathAbbott to follow their progress.