A young runner from Hartswood Road in Shepherd's Bush is taking on the London Marathon for Barnardo’s in memory of his mother, who died unexpectedly one year ago while doing inspirational work for the children’s charity.

Tashan Williams-Mitchell, 24 will hit the streets to honour mum Jacquie Williams, who worked tirelessly on behalf of disabled children as Team Manager for Barnardo’s Indigo Recreational Short Breaks in Ilford.

Jacquie had supported children and young people at Indigo for more than a decade and was still working at the service when she died suddenly in March 2015 due to a blood clot on her lung.

Tashan says: " My mum was very passionate about Barnardo’s and she was so committed to her work at Indigo. She was a larger than life person who was very caring and very loving, and she strengthened everyone around her with her personality.

" A lot of the time I wouldn’t see her because she was so busy with everything she had going on at work. She left a real legacy and running the marathon is my way of honouring all that she achieved."

Tashan, who works as an IT recruitment consultant in the City of London, is preparing for the race on April 24 by running and playing football five times a week. He hopes to raise at least £1,800 to support Barnardo’s work with the UK’s most vulnerable children, young people and families.

He adds: "So far I’ve been for a few runs of more than 10 miles. The area where I live is quite built-up, so it’s good to run out to places like Hyde Park and I like to have a good playlist on my headphones. The first five or six miles are the most difficult – after that you almost become a robot and just battle through."

Jo Chaney, manager of the Indigo service, says: " Jacquie was such an important member of our team, who always went beyond the call of duty to give the best possible support to the children and families we work with. Losing her in the way that we did was a tremendous shock and we really miss her. Her passion and commitment touched so many lives and continues to have impact on those that knew and worked with her.

"It’s fantastic that Tashan has chosen to support us by running the London Marathon on behalf of Barnardo’s. It’s a very fitting way to honour Jacquie’s legacy and I know she would have been very proud of him."

You can sponsor Tashan by visiting his page on JustGiving