Woman runs London Marathon in memory of mother

A woman whose mother died while battling alcohol addiction is urging others to seek help before it's too late.

Kirsty Toner, from Rochester in Kent, believes her mother Stella began to struggle after her children became adults.

"She started going through a slippery slope of drinking and she went missing in August 2023 and unfortunately she was found in the River Medway," said Ms Toner.

She is training for the London Marathon on 27 April, and will be raising money for the addiction recovery charity Open Road, which helped her mother.

Leah Slater is the fundraising manager for the charity and has called Kirsty's efforts "fantastic".

"We really appreciate all she does," she said.

"The fundraising and the donations that come in through this will go straight into supporting people like her mum and people out there who are struggling with substance abuse."

Kent County Council is aiming to reduce the number of alcohol-related A&E admissions by around 6% by 2028.

Ms Toner is urging anyone struggling with addiction to act now.

She said: "You can get support networks out there, there are people who understand, so just speak up. I think it's really important."

• If you have been affected by this story the BBC Action Line web page features a list of organisations which are ready to provide support and advice.

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