On the 18th October 2026 I will be running the Blickling Half Marathon in memory of my mum, Vanessa Moar and my dad’s cousin, one of the founders of the Big C cancer charity, David Moar MBE.

My mum died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 73 following a near 2-year fight and was fortunate to make it and saw her 50th wedding anniversary 6 months before she lost her courageous battle.

Over her life, she worked as a nurse, a Marie Curie Nurse, for social services before working with people with learning difficulties, something she did for over 30 years and did up until her diagnosis. She always wanted to give people the best possible life in what every she did.

In her personal life, she was married to Michael for over 50 years and had 4 children who went on the give her 13 grandchildren. Of these grandchildren, two became trained doctors, one a vet, one is working for the ambulance service and will soon start training to become a paramedic. Two are in university, one is looking at following in her footsteps in healthcare and the others are in school. She was more than a mother and grandmother to us, she was our guide, our teacher, confidant, our advisor and our friend.

In terms of David, the family moved away from the area when I was young so I never really grew up knowing David, however it is clear that the work that the Big C does is testament to David’s nature.

When looking back at the legacy that these two kind and generous people have left behind, I feel that it is only right to work at supporting the work that the Big C does to help people like both Vanessa and David did throughout their lives.

Big C, established in Norfolk in 1980, is your local cancer charity. Through support, research, equipment and education, they make a difference to the lives of local people affected by cancer.