Inspirational mother who suffered traumatic birth amongst those running for ambulance crews at London Marathon

A team of ten runners, including a mother who experienced a traumatic birth when she had her daughter, will be flying the flag for London Ambulance Service at the TCS London Marathon next April.

The money raised by #TeamLAS runners will support the London Ambulance Charity, which is working to fund additional defibrillators across the capital with the London Heart Starters campaign and supports wellbeing initiatives for frontline crews, including support vehicles to help crews cope with the challenges of a 12-hour shift.

Abie Hepworth, from east London, is one of our stars running for the London Ambulance Charity as a thank you to our crews. Abie and her baby Lydia were recently reunited with the paramedics who saved their lives after the difficult birth at her home.

Explaining her reasons for taking part in the legendary endurance race, Abie said: “Last year I had an emergency home birth in which both mine and my baby’s lives were at risk. An incredible team of paramedics saved our lives and I will be forever grateful for the work of paramedics and the work they do.”

Speaking at the reunion in June, she added: “On TV and in the movies you always hear the baby cry and I waited but there was no cry. And yet all I remember is how safe I felt with the crews.

“I trusted each and every one of them from the minute they arrived and I never once felt scared.”

Abie, who is a trainee priest, will see some familiar faces cheering her on during the race as the London Marathon route goes past her local church.

She said: “We make a huge day of it with a BBQ and drinks where hundreds of people come to watch each year and support the runners. I hope I can use this excitement to help galvanise support for LAS from my friends, family and my local community. It will be great to be one of the runners they are cheering on this year.”

The London Marathon, which is the largest fundraising event in the world, passes Buckingham Palace, the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament with 40,000 fellow runners taking part.

Jess Burgess, Head of Charity at London Ambulance Service, said: “I would like to thank all of our incredible Marathon runners for taking on this challenge. I hope that Londoners will support their efforts to raise funds for our ambulance crews and call handlers, who dedicate their lives to caring for the people of our capital city during the time of their greatest need.

“Money raised will improve staff welfare and help our teams provide exceptional care for our patients and local communities across the capital.”

All of the individuals taking part in the Marathon in aid of London Ambulance Charity have JustGiving pages and will be fundraising in the run up to the big event. For those who are able to sponsor our dedicated runners, please visit their fundraising pages here.

For more information about supporting London Ambulance Charity, or to register for your own fundraising challenge, head to www.londonambulancecharity.org.uk.