Mum from Stanton near Bury St Edmunds running London Marathon for Stanton Junior Reds U9’s football club

A Suffolk mum who is running the London Marathon for the first time is hoping to give a boost to a new youth football team that her son plays for and her husband helped to set up.

Kellie Newman, of Stanton near Bury St Edmunds, wants to raise funds for Stanton Junior Reds U9’s as they take part in their first ever season.

The young team was formed by four parents in September, including Kellie’s husband Gary, who will be running at the Norfolk Marathon a week after Kellie runs in London.

Kellie said: “I’ve been running for about 14 years now and have been trying to get into the London Marathon for over ten years but never had any luck.

“Now I’ve managed to get in, instead of doing it for cancer research, I wanted to do it for something closer to my heart.

“Gary and some friends set up the team themselves and it's been so rewarding watching them and seeing how they are improving each week. They’ve worked so hard and I just want to help.

“The funds will be massively important for them I hope and they’ll be able to get all sorts of things to help them out and make a difference.”

The GoFundMe fund-raiser has so far received £146 and has a £500 target.

Kellie’s son Stanley plays for the Stanton side who have their home matches at the village’s recreation ground and their away games in and around Ipswich and Bury.

The club are also in the process of starting up three new teams for next season, including another U9’s, U13’s and a U16’s.

Kellie, who has done a number of half marathons and completed the Great North Run in September, is now looking forward to being part of the London Marathon on Sunday, April 21.

“Training has been going very well even though I’ve just got over a chest infection. I am really excited to do this and very much looking forward to it,” she said.

“With the London Marathon being the big one, it’s just so iconic and such a great event to be a part of.

“I think it’s going to be major adrenaline for me on the day and pure excitement to finally get there after all this time.”

A week later, Gary will be running his first marathon in Cromer on Sunday, April 28, and will be raising funds for Bardwell Primary School.

“The decision to take on the Norfolk Marathon was not made lightly and I can already feel a mix of nervous anticipation as I think about the journey ahead,” he said.

“It’s exciting news and I want to raise as much money as possible to go towards a school that is truly fantastic.

“Here's to new challenges, personal growth and the incredible feeling of crossing that finish line.”