A CLINICAL support worker from Wem has been hand-picked to take part in next year's London Marathon.

Amanda Cheeseman, who works within the Bariatric Team at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), will undertake the 26-mile-long course in April to raise money for the trust's charity.

After only recently starting her new role at SaTH, she gained her place in the marathon through a ballot for staff – and has pledged to raise at least £2,000 for the trust.

"As part of my role, I give advice on healthy living, including physical activity and exercise," she said.

"Initially, many of our patients feel they are unable to undertake exercise because of their excess weight or health conditions. Despite this, however, many start to make small changes and are soon taking part in their local charity running events.

"I think this is brilliant, and such an inspiration to others on their journey, including me.

"I wanted to follow their lead by challenging myself to achieve my goal of running in the London Marathon, including all the ups and downs along the way, and show them that I have been inspired by them and hopefully to inspire them in return to make goals and achieve them.

"The London Marathon is perfect. It’s a long-term commitment that takes planning, dedication, determination, and tears and smiles to complete.

"I’m ready to give it my all to represent the Bariatric Department and SaTH."

Andrew James, from SaTH Charity, was impressed with Amanda's application and wished her luck in the lead up to the run and the run itself.

He said: "We had some incredibly worthy entries for our one London Marathon place and choosing a winner was a very, very tough task.

"Amanda spoke so eloquently about why she wanted to run the marathon for us that, in the end, she was the person we picked. We wish her every success in her training and, of course, for the day itself."