TWO women will tackle a marathon walk in aid of a cancer charity close to their hearts.

Tori Sowden, from Caldwell, and her stepmother Judith Porter, from Barnard Castle, will take on the Northumberland Coastal Challenge on Monday, May 4.

Mrs Sowden, who manages the family-run Oakley Service Station in West Auckland, decided to do the 26.2 mile walk in memory of her mother-in-law who died of pancreatic cancer.

Her husband Sean’s mother, Susan Hall, of Nottinghamshire, was 61 when she died last year.

She had been diagnosed with cancer just 16 weeks earlier and was told it had already spread to her pancreas and liver from her stomach.

Prior to that the only indication she was unwell was indigestion.

Mrs Sowden, 39, said: “Our lives will never be the same without her.

“She was a mum, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a friend, and her death has left a hole in all of our hearts and our lives.

“Doing the walk will be very emotional, but my stepmum is doing it with me, which will be a great help.

“Judith has also been very supportive with the training.

“We’ve all been walking as many miles as we can, gradually building up the amount covered.”

They hope to complete the route in less than nine hours.

All money raised from the event will go to Pancreatic Cancer Action and even before setting off Mrs Sowden has raised more than twice her £400 target with £1,050 sponsorship pledged online.

She added: “Pancreatic cancer is known as the silent killer and has such a low survival rate.

“The statistics are truly awful.

“By doing this walk I'm hoping to raise as much money and awareness of this evil disease as possible.”

To make a donation visit justgiving.com/Tori-Sowden/