THE leader of BCP Council has revealed she will be taking part in next year’s London Marathon, despite admitting she’s not a runner.

Councillor Vikki Slade is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for Marie Curie in memory of her mum, who died of cancer at home under the care of specialist nurses.

She said the race had been on her bucket list since watching her father compete in the first ever London Marathon in 1981.

“I remember being there with a sign saying ‘go daddy, go’ and ever since then I have wanted to run it for myself,” she said.

“My bucket list only has three things on it: to finish the London Marathon, to become an MP and to complete a degree – this felt like a good place to start.”

The Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole said she had applied for a place in the race a number of times but had never been successful in the ballot.

Instead she will now run on behalf of her charity and said she thought her increased prominence as council leader meant she was in a better place to do so.

“Mum died at home as did two cousins because they had access to specialist nurses, like those Marie Curie provides, to care for them,” she added.

“Everyone should be able to have access to this and everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer – this is a great cause.”

Next year’s marathon will be held on April 26 and Cllr Slade said she would make sure to find time to train for the race around overseeing the work of the new council.

The Broadstone councillor said she was planning to train across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to allow her to explore more of the conurbation.

“I don’t run and a 5km parkrun is the longest distance I have done but I will make my already long days longer to make sure I am ready,” she added.

“My dad finished his marathon in three hours which is incredibly fast – I’m not setting myself a time, only a promise to crawl across the finish line if I have to.”

She is fundraising online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vikki-slade1