A mother-of-four is preparing to take on the London Marathon in memory of her daughter.
Amy Letts, 40, from Eastbourne, will run the TCS London Marathon on 26 April 2026 to raise funds for the Evelina Children’s Heart Organisation (ECHO), a charity that supported her while her daughter Marnie was waiting for a heart transplant.
Marnie died in October 2016, aged just six months, after being born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Noonan’s syndrome.
Ms Letts is hoping to raise £3,000 for the charity, which continues to support her family.
She said: “ECHO was a lifeline to me when Marnie went into heart failure.
“Marnie’s older brother Jonah was only 20 months old at the time and ECHO stepped in, looking after Jonah whenever we had transplant meetings or when Marnie needed her blood taken.
“I still feel part of the ECHO family. We’re always invited to heart family events, as well as memorial events.”
In addition to Marnie, Ms Letts has three other children: Jonah, 11, Coby, 8 and Bonnie, 6.
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Amy and Marnie. (Image: Supplied)
Although she has completed five marathons before, this will be her first time running the London Marathon.
She said: “I started running after Marnie was born as I was struggling. I started off running with Marnie and Jonah in a double pushchair.
“Since losing Marnie, running has become a survival thing for me – it’s been my time when I can think of her.
“Running the London Marathon has always been a dream of mine and I’m honoured to run it for ECHO.”
Ms Letts is aiming to finish the marathon in under four hours and is balancing training with her work as a coroner’s officer and caring for her children.
To support her efforts, visit her online fundraising page at 2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/marnies-mummy-amy.
Samantha Johnson, chief executive at ECHO, said: “We are so grateful to Amy for running the London Marathon in support of ECHO.
“She has been a committed supporter to the charity over the last decade, regularly raising money for us.
“We are a small charity and every pound she raises will enable us to continue supporting children with special hearts and their families.