Donations For Runner's Charity Hit £500k

Donations to the charity of the London Marathon runner who died during the race have topped half a million pounds, as her family paid tribute to "an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person."

The totals sum on Ms Squire's Just Giving site includes total public donations and the Gift Aid total.

Claire Squires fell to the ground in Birdcage Walk near St James's Park while running the final stretch of the 26.2-mile course.

The 30-year-old hairdresser from North Kilworth, Leicestershire, was collecting sponsorship for the Samaritans because her mother Cilla has worked for them as a volunteer for 24 years.

Her family said in a statement: "Claire would be so happy and overwhelmed with the incredible support that has been offered by thousands of people from all over the world."

"Words cannot explain what an incredible, inspirational, beautiful and driven person she was. She was loved by so many and is dearly missed by all of us."

It has also emerged the runner's brother died after taking an overdose in 2001 when she was 20 years old.

Grant Squires, 25, took a mixture of heroin and anti-depressant drugs, according to a Leicester Mercury report of an inquest that took place in November the following year.

The family urged people to continue making donations to Samaritans, which has said it is "overwhelmed" after raising more than £500,000 following the death of Ms Squires.

Rachel Kirby-Rider, from the charity, said: "Obviously we're desperately sad and devastated as an organisation that Claire died whilst running the marathon.

"She was one of 70 runners running for us and our thoughts are with the family at this time and it's really important to us that we continue to support the family during the desperately difficult time for them.

"We're overwhelmed that people are supporting us and the tributes to Claire on her fundraising page and the donations that are coming in in memory of her are amazing.

"We're a charity that doesn't turn over high sums of money, so £500, £1,000 is a huge amount of money to us as an organisation."

Simon Van Herrewege, Ms Squire's boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, has also spoken of his devastation.

Mr Herrewege, who was cheering the runner in the race, told the Leicester Mercury: "We are still not sure what has happened. That's what we were hoping to find out from the doctors.

"We are just devastated. It is hard to understand. She was young, fit and strong and had really been looking forward to the run.

"She was an amazing person who was always doing stuff for charity and to help others. This is a difficult time for her family."

On Monday tens of thousands of pounds were being donated every hour to the JustGiving site as news of the hairdresser's death became more widely known - increasing the total from £500 on Sunday.

Many tributes to Ms Squires have been left on the site and on Twitter.

Close friend Nicola Short described her as an "inspiration" who brought laughter and love to everyone's life.

The pair climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for the Royal Air Force Association (Rafa) last year, raising £1,500.

A statement on the London Marathon website said: "The organisers of the Virgin London Marathon would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

"We would like to emphasise that our immediate concern is for the family of the deceased. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with them at this difficult time."

Tests to establish why Ms Squires collapsed as she neared the finish line are expected to take place in the coming days.

She died with the finishing line only one bend away, after 25 miles of the marathon.

She is the 11th participant to die since the event began in 1981 and the first woman.