TWELVE months of fundraising will come to an end in the next fortnight with nearly £8,000 in a kitty dedicated to one of Swindon’s best-loved women.

More than £7,500 has been raised by a legion of fundraisers grafting in memory of Rebecca Rowland, the former manager of inSwindon, who died in October 2014.

Rebecca, known as Becky to those close to her, touched hundreds of lives in her various roles around Swindon, championing the town where possible as well as raising money for Wroughton’s Prospect Hospice.

She died in the hospice with her daughters Michaela and Kristy by her side last autumn after a battle against cancer but her memory has spurred on others to continue bringing in money for Prospect.

One of those at the forefront is Charlie Paradise, 30, from Devizes, who considered Rebecca as family after striking up a relationship through her husband Tim, a colleague of Rebecca’s.

“She was gutted about not being able to carry that (Prospect fundraising) on anymore and I just thought if you could continue raising money for them, that would be keeping her legacy alive,” said Charlie.

“I told her I would do that the week before she went into hospital and then felt obliged to carry on.”

Charlie will successfully complete 12 months of fundraising if she finishes the Swindon Santa Fun Run around Lydiard Park on December 6.

She began by staying off alcohol for all of January, followed by completing the Prospect 10k run in February, alongside Michaela and others, who had all never run before.

In March, with a friend, Charlie completed a coastal walk around Dorset before doing a 50km bicycle ride through the Cotswolds in April.

There were two more 10km runs in May ahead of her 30th birthday in June, which gave the Swindon Borough Council employee the chance to ease things down with a 5km paint run.

There was a triathlon near Brighton in July and the Tough Mudder event in Cirencester in August, which is a 10 to 16-mile obstacle course.

In September, Charlie and Michaela successfully ran a total of 100km before October arrived, and she took part in the Swindon Half Marathon.

“That was the worst event ever,” said Charlie.

“That was the furthest I have ever run and was definitely the most difficult part of the whole thing.”

There was the Swindon 10k this month too, with all of her personal fundraising generating more than £2,300.

“Becky wouldn’t be a massive fan of all the running or the dry January, but certainly would have loved how much money we have raised for a cause so important to her,” said Charlie.

“She would have been proud.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/charlie-paradise.

“I found it quite tough to train for it. People like Michaela have encouraged me throughout the whole year,” she said.

“You get to the point where you’re tired and want to stop, but lots of people who should be mentioned have helped me along the way.”

Charlie does not want the limelight for herself. She has said there have been big efforts across Swindon, from Movember to the Oxford Half Marathon.

She reserved special praise for ATBShop Skate Warehouse in Hawksworth Industrial Estate, which has held four events this year and donated everything to her Just Giving page.

“It reminds people of how important she was. She did a lot for Swindon and loved the town.

“That’s why we have tried to as many of the events in Swindon as we could.”