Skip to content

Teenager will run London Marathon in dad's memory

Andy HowardWest of England
News imageBBC Carys Walsh holds up her yellow race t-shirt, which has a photo of her with her dad Rod on the front. She is standing in a living room. There are brown double doors in the background. There is also a shelf with books. BBC
Carys Walsh said she had always wanted to complete the London Marathon

A teenager whose father died in a crash on the M5 says she will run the London Marathon in his memory to turn "the worst ever situation into something positive".

Carys Walsh, from Cheddar in Somerset, lost her father Rod in a crash in 2018, in which her mum Ceri was injured.

Carys, 17, is running to raise money for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST) to thank them for helping her parents.

Ceri said: "The ambulance service looked after me, got me back, I'm still here today, eight years down the line, and I intend to be here for a lot longer."

Carys added: "These people, what they see on a day-to-day basis, is unbelievable."

News imageRod Walsh is smiling at the camera. He is wearing glasses and a jumper over a shirt. He is in a restaurant and there are people in the background. The photo of Rod is in a frame.
Rod Walsh from Somerset died in a crash on the M5 in September 2018

The London Marathon has been a long term ambition for Carys, who remembers watching it on the TV with her parents.

"I was really young and I said to mum and dad 'I want to do that one day, I want to do it when I'm 18'," she said.

She will be one of the youngest participants in this year's event.

News imageCeri Walsh is standing in her living room. She is wearing a jumper that is navy, grey and dark green. She also has a necklace. Ceri is also wearing blue-framed glasses and is smiling at the camera.
Ceri Walsh says her husband Rod will be looking down on them during the London Marathon

Ceri believes Rod will be looking down on them during the marathon on 26 April.

"He's never truly gone, he's with us, and he's going to be with her, giving the encouragement that she needs.

"We lost a lot that day, but they [her children] could have lost a lot more if I hadn't come back," she added.

News imageZoe Larter is standing outside the Churchill Ambulance Station in Somerset. She is wearing a navy top which also has the NHS and the ambulance service emblems on it. She has dark hair, which is tied back. A bright yellow and green ambulance is parked behind her.
Zoe Larter from SWAST says the money raised by Carys will makea

The money Carys raises will go towards equipment for volunteer community first responders, CPR training for local people, and towards ambulance stations.

Zoe Larter, who is head of charity at SWAST, said: "We are a very small charity.

"It's these extra bits of funding that can really make the difference.

"Carys is an absolute superstar, she's a credit to her family, we just wish her all the best," she added.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story
Related internet links