Tori's marathon effort to raise awareness of disease suffered by three Wisbech brothers

A Fenland family has once again pulled to together to raise funds and awareness of a disease which it knows all to well about.

The Dodkin family, from Wisbech, are well known in the area for their dedication to raising awareness of Juvenile Batten Disease CLN3, an illness which has touched them personally.

Determined not to be defeated by the illness, which sons Finley (11), Arthur (9) and Harrison (6) have all been diagnosed with, parents Sarah and Ben have worked tirelessly to talk about the disease and raise funds towards research and support.

This determination shone through when Victoria (Tori) Dodkin, the boys’ aunt, took on the mammoth task of running the Brighton Marathon on April 10.

Before this year, Tori had never run more than a few miles but, challenged with the prospect of running 26.2, she took it all in her stride.

Sarah said: “We are very proud of her – she’s surprised a lot of people through this. She’s not a runner – before now she had only ever run about three miles – so it was a huge challenge for her.”

The family travelled to Brighton to cheer Tori on as she made her way around the course.

Sarah said: “It was lovely to be there supporting her.

“We saw her at a few spots along the way and then we were waiting for her at the finish line too.

“While she was there, she met a lady who had also never ran a marathon before. The lovely thing is that they talked to each other about their stories and really kept each other going.

“At moments where Tori didn’t think she could go any further, the lady reminded her why she was doing it.

“It was as much about raising awareness as it was about raising money and she did that with information on her T-shirt on.”

Tori completed the route in seven hours and 19 minutes and has raised about £500 so far.

The family are now making the most of being out of lockdown.

Sarah added: “We are all doing really well and enjoying being able to do things together again.”

For information and to donate, visit the Pedal4Memories Facebook page.