A woman who lost both her legs to meningitis has vowed to raise £1 million for charity before she reaches 25.

Twenty-one-year-old Clare Forbes is calling for the help of people and businesses from across Sussex.

Clare drew admiration from all quarters earlier this year when she took part in the London Marathon and finished the route in 19 hours and 10 minutes.

She is now in training for the New York City Marathon in November and plans to take part in the Hyde Park women's race next month.

She is also planning to do a sponsored hike in India next year.

Clare, from Broadfield Crawley, had both her legs amputated below the knees when she contracted meningitis in 2001. She fell into a coma and did not wake up for six months, She also contracted the infectious hospital bug MRSA and "died" twice on the way to a specialist hospital in London.

Clare is raising the money for the Meningitis Trust, the Douglas Bader Foundation and the Limbless Association. She said: "These are the charities that helped my family and myself through my illness. I will be indebted to them for the rest of my life.

"The fund-raising is going very well at the moment but there is obviously a long way to go."

Clare is holding a raffle in December and is looking for prizes. She has also got collection boxes which she can give to people to put out where they work.

Her stepfather Eiffie Verboot is supporting Clare's campaign by taking part in a hike in Peru next month.

Anyone interested in helping out can donate online or get more information at www.justgiving.com/clareforbes-ingmarathon