THE wet and rainy weather of recent weeks may have put off some runners but not Eckington mum Amanda Martin who is training for the up and coming London Marathon.

Despite the gales of late Mrs Martin has been hitting the lanes around her home village of Eckington, near Pershore, to get in some important training for the event on April 13.

She said: "I had bemused looks from car drivers when I was running in the wet and wind, they couldn’t believe I was actually out in the weather, never mind running.

"The wind behind me made jogging up Bredon hill easier, but running down was a nightmare as I could barely move my legs forward against the wind. In fact, it almost literally swept me off my feet."

The 40-year-old mum of two has decided to take part in the major event to raise some money for the National Migraine Centre and she has been inspired by her husband Jason, who suffers with rare cluster headaches that last for days on end.

"This is my first marathon," said Mrs Martin, who works in Kudos Ladies Boutique in Tewkesbury. "Our whole family owes the centre a lot. When Jason gets the headaches they come in two week blasts. It's the centre that really helped him.

"I am so pleased to be able to run for them, to give something back and, hopefully, to help other families like ours."

Anyone who would like to support Amanda Martin should visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AmandaMartin3.