A MOTHER and her teenage daughter are running the London marathon to help blind people have a better life.

Sue Howells, 44, and her daughter Hannah, 18, will take on the 26 mile run to raise cash for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The Barnwood mum says she has seen first hand what a difference a guide dog can make to someone's life.

"My sister in law has a guide dog and it means everything to her," she said.

"It means she can live a fully independent life. A guide dog is priceless."

Despite neither of them having run a marathon before they have both been in training over the last few weeks.

"We have been running around the streets and have been building up the mileage," said Mrs Howells, a nurse at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

"We have been following quite a strict training programme and we can both currently do around 20 miles.

"We have taken part in the Race for Life in the past which is a 5km run and we have also done 10km for the Pied Piper Appeal." The plan is to raise £5000 in order to give somebody the gift that her sister-in-law, Julie Stephens, 45, from Barnwood, cherishes so much.

"We've heard that it costs £38,000 to put a dog through its training and its life so we would like to raise as much as possible," said Mrs Howells.

"Tara, Julie's Labrador, means so much to her and we'd love to contribute to someone else having that in their life."

The race could also be extra special for Hannah, who is a student at Denmark Road High School. "Hannah will be 18 years and eight days old at the time of the race which is on April 26," said Mrs Howells.

"We are currently contacting the Guinness Book of Records to see if she will be the youngest runner they have ever had."

People can sponsor the pair, who have already raised £1,400 by logging onto www.justgiving.co.uk/hannahhowellsandsue

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