MALVERN Town Council’s deputy town clerk Linda Blake will be swapping her minute book for running shoes when she takes part in the London Marathon.

Linda, aged 33, will be one of more than 30,000 runners setting off on Sunday in the famous 26-mile 385-yard race.

“It’s a challenge,” she said.

“I’ve run the Great South Run, which is a 10-mile event, and the Great North Run, which is a half-marathon, and because this is the jubilee year and the Olympic year, I wanted to do something special.

“I’m very excited to be taking part but also a bit nervous.

“I’ve been training all through the winter.”

Linda will be raising money for St Richard’s Hospice, which is Malvern mayor Ian Hopwood's charity, and Children With Cancer.

“I just feel that cancer is something that touches everybody’s lives, and that’s why I chose that particular charity,” she said.

Anyone who wants to support Linda’s fund-raising efforts can contact her at the town council office in Belle Vue Terrace, or alternatively call her on 01684 566667.