A MOTHER-OF-FIVE will take to the starting line at the Brighton Half Marathon after shedding nearly five stone last year.

Lorraine Collins is on target to smash another goal by running the race on February 22, in preparation for running the Brighton Marathon in April.

She will be running a total of 100 miles in races for charity after successfully losing four stone 11 pounds in 2014.

She started running and dieting in May last year after her sister passed away. Losing her close sibling and being a mother of five children was the wake-up call she needed to help change her life and help others in the process.

Her 40th birthday in May this year provided the extra motivated she needed to start running – something she had not done since she was at school.

Two of her friends had used the Chestnut Tree House’s hospice in the past, so with a charity in mind she decided to sign up for a number of races, including the Vitality Brighton Half Marathon.

She said: “When I decided to lose weight I knew I also needed to exercise.

“I hadn’t run since I was at school but losing the pounds made the running easier and during 2014 I completed a 10-mile race and The Great South Run, so I thought, ‘let’s run a marathon next’.

“My two friends regularly use Chestnut Tree House’s facilities for respite care and family time.

“Knowing what amazing care Chestnut Tree House provides for life-limited children and families in Sussex was the perfect reason to sign up and help raise money for them.”

She is even getting the family involved and is training with her two youngest children, aged seven and eight, every other weekend. She is now hoping her exploits will see her family and friends dig deep in their pockets to help raise £1,000 for the hospice.

This year she will race in The Great South Run, three 10K races in Brighton, Crowborough and Worthing, the Brighton Half Marathon in February and the Brighton Marathon in April.

To sponsor her visit justgiving.com/LorraineCollins75/