A daughter is following in her father’s footsteps in a marathon bid to support two children’s charities.

Mark and Daisy Johnson have been pounding the streets of Farnham as they’re stepping up preparations for this year’s London Marathon.

They hope to raise more than £5,000 for the NSPCC and Children with Cancer through sponsorship and fundraising around town, with initiatives including a prize raffle and sale of Daisy’s homemade brownies.

Daisy said: “This is my first marathon and I hope the encouragement of friends and family will see me over the finish line in April.”

She is a familiar face to Herald readers as the Bournemouth University student has been a member of the Farnham School of Taekwondo for more than 10 years.

Daisy, who took up running last summer, rose through the ranks to attain third-degree black belt and won Young Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2018.

Mark is running his fourth London marathon - his first was in 2007 - while his others include the Stockholm and notoriously hard Pilgrim marathons.

He had not planned to run one this year but when Daisy asked his advice for running her first, he decided to take an active part.

He said: “I am sure Daisy will do well on the day. The training is tough but we’re good running partners and discovering new routes around Farnham as the mileage increases!”

The 26.2 mile event is the world’s most popular marathon with more than 54,000 runners raising in excess of £67m. Mark and Daisy are hoping local businesses will contribute to their ‘Marathon Raffle’ which will be drawn in April and will offer prizes from across Farnham and beyond.

To donate a prize email [email protected]