A firefighter mum whose daughter died just eight-days-old will complete her first marathon this April to thank the hospice that cared for her.

Carole Brown will be pounding the pavements on April 22 in aid of Beckton’s Richard House Children’s Hospice – the place where little Charlotte spent her final days.

Charlotte was born with Edwards Syndrome and could not breathe on her own. She also had a problem with her heart.

The 46-year-old control watch manager for Kent Fire and Rescue Service says the work the Beckton-based hospice does in caring for life-limited children and their families ‘is outstanding and immeasurable’.

Carole said: “Very early on, we were advised to go to Richard House but the thought of going to a hospice did not sit well with us and we wanted the security of the hospital and nurses.

“When Charlotte was seven-days-old, she pulled her respirator tube out, and we had already decided not to re-intubate, so it was a matter of not knowing how much time we had with her. Eventually, we decided to move to Richard House and if ever there was a case of ‘wish we had done this earlier’, that was it. The staff were amazing and looked after us so much.”

Last year, Carole’s husband Alan completed the marathon and raised thousands of pounds for the hospice. She hopes to follow in his foot-steps and raise �2,500.