At times Angela Whitehead may have regretted her decision to take part in the Newport Marathon just two weeks before her 51st birthday, but the reasons why she was running spurred her on.

Angela told the Ross Gazette: “It was an honour to run Newport Marathon for two beautiful brave boys, James De Sousa Stayton and Tom Walker, both brutally robbed of their young lives.”

She said that she hoped knowing that she had made such an effort would bring a little comfort to the families of Tom and James, known as JJ in their time of immense pain.

She said: “People asked me mid-race the story of the two young people on my shirt, and one man at the end told me he had kept my back in sight, those two boys on my shirt had kept him going.”

“Deciding that you’re going to run a full marathon two weeks before you are 51 years old, is probably not the best thing to do for your body, but hopefully gave a little hope to two amazing families in their time of immense pain. It was overwhelmingly emotional, and it was such an honour to be able to run for two incredibly brave boys.”

Anyone wishing to donate further to Angela’s fundrasing effort can make donations at Monmouth Boys School reception or Monmouth Girls School reception.

The family of James Jorge de Sousa Stayton, who took his own life at St Paul’s Cathedral on April 1st, have also created a new fundraising page in his memory. They are hoping to bring about changes to the way mental health is understood.

Visit: https://www.gofundme.com/remember ingjjfundraiser?fbclid=IwAR0Vtvp2XisK9tE3P NcUg0kqGeDKVcl_8osTE8f0mGeO5_eOKpb fpshN JZYSee this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.