A daughter who traversed the planet to keep a deathbed promise to her dad is continuing the fundraising in his memory at Southampton's Race for Life, 20 years after she first completed the challenge. 

BBC journalist Laura Ancell has produced a podcast series all about her epic search to find the biological father her dad Billy never knew, which involved a court case and DNA testing on three deceased people, and took her all the way to New Zealand. 

Now the 36-year-old, from Titchfield, is turning her attentions to adding to the more than £10,000 she's raised for Cancer Research UK during Race for Life events since 2005.

(Image: Family collection) READ MORE: The life-saving research by Southampton nurses funded by Race for Life

It all began when dad Billy was diagnosed with stage four terminal lung cancer and 15-year-old Laura signed up for the July 2005 Race for Life, desperate to do something positive in the face of such a sad situation.

"Running around the course and seeing everyone’s personal messages pinned to their back was both heart-breaking and heart-warming," said Laura.

"I remember by dad standing at the finish line – an image that I always have in my mind when I run the Race For Life. Whenever I cross, I always imagine him standing there cheering me on."

(Image: Family collection) Just before Billy's death in September 2006, Laura and mum Jayne promised they would find his biological family, starting with the clues of a picture with the face cut out and a link to the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Laura added: "One of the first things the doctors asked my dad was about his family medical history, but he didn’t know his biological father and his mum had been abandoned as a baby so he couldn’t share much family knowledge.

"The search took almost two decades and was pretty wild, but it was important to me to keep my promise to my dad and also it felt like a part of me - and him - were missing. 

"With amazing advances in medical sciences where treatments can be tailored based on your own immune system or DNA I think it’s more important than ever to understand your biological medical history."

Eight part series DNA Trail: The Promise is available on BBC Sounds. 

(Image: BBC) Race for Life takes place on Southampton Common on Saturday July 21.