MICHELLE Leighton’s 14th London Marathon is set to be particularly poignant.

The Royal Wootton Bassett runner is raising funds for Great Western Hospital charity Brighter Futures, the Swindon cause that last year hit its £2.9m appeal target to help build a radiotherapy centre in the town.

For 47-year-old Michelle, the cause is close to her heart. As well as working for the Brighter Futures team, she has a newfound personal link to cancer too.

A week before Christmas Eve last year her mother, Diane Kirby, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It was a shock,” Michelle said of finding out her 68-year-old mother had cancer. “You don’t expect it to happen to your own immediate family or you’d like to hope it doesn’t ever happen.”

Having spent years working for Cancer Research UK, Michelle was well acquainted with the condition. “But it’s more hard-hitting when it’s your own mum. It makes you even more grateful the money has been raised for the radiotherapy centre. Although it won’t get to benefit my mum, it will help someone else.”

Mum Diane, who spent several months walking the length of Britain, is now receiving chemotherapy unit through GWH.

Michelle says she hopes to raise £750 from her latest London Marathon effort. She began running the iconic event in 1998: “I just love it, all the atmosphere. The first time, it was scary – I was so nervous. But I just got hooked on it.”

Four Brighter Futures marathon runners lined up for their Advertiser photocall last week.

Sally Rachael's father, David Everitt, was a keen runner – taking on the London race in the late 1980s and early 90s. But next month's race will be her first.“I’ve grown up with marathon running in my life,” said Sally, 43. “I’ve applied to the London Marathon for a ballot place for years and years and I finally got one. I’m following in dad’s footsteps.”

Sally’s father, David, has been seriously ill in recent months and had a six week spell in intensive care. “We were told he wasn’t going to pull through,” she said. But 72-year-old David, 72, did pull through – and is secretly proud his daughter is lining up on the London Marathon start line.

She wants to raise £1,000 for Brighter Futures, with the cash earmarked for new drinking cups and mugs specially designed to remind older patients to take sips of water, juice or tea in order to keep themselves hydrated.

Also taking on the challenge is first time marathon runner Claire Mertha, 39. “I’ve done everything from Brighter Futures charity runs with my kids to half marathons,” she said of her training regime.

It will be a third London Marathon for Wroughton runner Paul Bailey, 44. The Wroughton Whippets club member has raised thousands over the years in memory of Gill Hussey, who lost her fight with cancer in 2014.

The London Marathon is on April 28.