A woman has completed her first half- marathon in memory of her friend and work colleague.

Sarah Richardson, who works at the Skipton Building Society in Malton, decided to take part in the event following the death of Lucy Copland, who also worked at the society’s Malton branch.

Last November, Lucy, who was 28 and eight months pregnant, collapsed at the home she shared with her partner, Jamie Wright, in Malton.

Despite the efforts of the paramedics and hospital staff they were unable to save her or her unborn son, who was named Seth Nicholas.

Sarah said she had run in the Race for Life event at Scarborough with colleagues, but not a half-marathon.

She said: “I wanted to do this in memory of Lucy because she loved to go running, so I thought this would be a fitting tribute.”

The Plusnet Leeds Half Marathon is part of the Jane Tomlinson Run for All, which started following Jane’s death from cancer in 2007.

Regarded as Yorkshire’s biggest, the Leeds half-marathon has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

Sarah said she had originally set out to raise £500 for the 4Louis Appeal, which helps bereaved parents, but had more than tripled that. She said: “I also beat my own target time of two hours 30 mins by finishing in two hours 16 minutes and 39 seconds.”

Sarah was cheered over the finish line by her husband, Matt, sons William, seven, and Freddie, four, along with her parents.

“I feel really humbled at the amount of money I have raised, just over £1,600, with the support of my family, friends, Jill Fothergill, and customers of Skipton Building Society. I believe it just shows how highly thought of and how loved Lucy was and how much everyone misses. I hope I did her proud.”