TWO siblings and their parents will take on the Oxford Half Marathon next month in memory of a family member who lost his battle with cancer last year.

Sisters Courtney and Lucy Thomas and mum and dad Paul and Denise will run the 13.1 miles to raise funds for Sobell House Hospice Charity, which provides end of life care at the Churchill Hospital.

The girls' grandfather John Turner stayed at the hospice before he passed away last November.

Courtney, 22, a hairdresser at Hair Therapy in Botley, said: “We lost my grandfather last year and he was there for his last couple of days.

“They really looked after him so much that we wanted to do it this year for them.

“They made him really comfortable and as a family they really looked after us and always kept us informed."

Asked how she had been preparing for the gruelling 13-mile run she said: “Probably not as well as we should be!

“We are always really grateful for the donations because you never know how much you are going to raise.”

Sister Lucy said: “We wanted to do something to raise money for this amazing place in memory of 'pappy'.

“Although he was only there for four days the staff and volunteers were amazing with him and with us.

“Even when you’re coming to the end of your life they still treat you like you matter and do whatever they can to make your time there that little bit easier.

“We could never thank them enough for what they did and how well they looked after him in those final few days.”

The four have so far raised £370 for the hospice.

They will be running the half marathon on October 9.

To donate via the Just Giving page visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Runningforpappy