A couple from Romsey completed the London Marathon together to honour a loved one.

Penny and Dave Gorman crossed the finish line hand in hand at the 45th London Marathon to pay tribute to Penny's mum, Mandy, and to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

Penny, 53, lost her mum last year. Mandy, 82, had undergone aortic valve replacement and triple bypass surgery and had been a BHF shop volunteer.

Penny's husband, Dave, 54, had entered the event separately, but the couple met up at the 5km marker and completed the 26.2-mile course together as a tribute to Mandy, who "would have been so pleased that we did this for her".

Penny and Dave Gorman finished the London Marathon together after running in aid of the British Heart Foundation.  (Image: Danny Fitzpatrick) The couple joined a team of 760 BHF runners who took to the streets of London on Sunday, April 27, to fund the charity's lifesaving research.

They ran the course in four hours and 47 minutes and raised more than £2,100 for the BHF.

The event raised more than £1.5m for the BHF, which will enable the charity to continue to fund groundbreaking research into new treatments and cures for heart and circulatory diseases.

Penny said: "It was all about doing it for mum. I know she would have been so proud of us running London for her and everyone else suffering with heart disease.

"The British Heart Foundation gave mum lots of practical and emotional support after her surgeries, and she was a BHF volunteer at her local shop in St Ives, Cornwall.

"Taking part in the 2025 TCS London Marathon for the British Heart Foundation was such a huge challenge and an incredible experience.

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"The atmosphere around the course was electric and it was amazing having so many people cheering me on, it made me even more determined to cross the finish line.

"The research that’s funded by the BHF does make such a difference to over 7.6 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases.

"I’m proud that I’m doing as much as I can to support their amazing work to help keep families across the UK together for longer."

Jas Dhanda, events manager at the BHF, added: "It’s fantastic to see Penny and Dave’s courage and determination in helping us fund lifesaving research.

"The stories of why our amazing supporters take part never fails to amaze me."