Claire Squires

25 April 2012

Following the very sad death of one of our competitors Claire Squires in last Sunday's London Marathon, we have been asked by the family (parents Paul and Cilla, daughters Maxine, Nicola and Penny and partner Simon Van Herrewege) to issue this further statement.

Claire's family have been incredibly moved by the measure of support and donations from the public, and are amazed by the amount raised so far, which continues to rise. These donations are a lasting testament to their beloved daughter and the cause in which she believed so passionately. Claire was particularly inspired to run for the Samaritans by her mother’s 24 years of volunteer work for the Samaritans.

The family would now like to appeal to the media to respect their privacy and allow them to deal with their grief in private.

Although a post mortem has been held further investigations into the cause of death are continuing and the family will not be making any further statements about this at present.

The event organisers, the Virgin London Marathon would ask for understanding from the media in this matter, and hope that the media will respect the family's wishes in this matter.