AN HR manager from Sompting has raised more than £1100 for Cancer Research UK having completed a Race For Life Hike across the South Downs.

Sara Gibb, 55, entered the mammoth 26-mile event back in January and began training in earnest.

Just four months later though and she was having a hip replacement at the world-renowned Horder Centre near Crowborough, but that wouldn’t deter the plucky woman from taking part.

The walk from Falmer to Eastbourne meant a lot to Sara who has lost several close friends and family members from the disease.

“The operation did get in the way of my routine.

“But I was determined to still enter, although I admit that I walked rather than hiked for some of the way.”

The HR manager has worked for Burgess Hill-based Bio Productions since moving to Sussex from Cambridgeshire last year.

Based on the Victoria Business Park, Bio Productions have helped Sara to boost her sponsorship through initiatives such as a loose change pot in the company canteen and a Dress Down Friday where staff paid to come to work in casual clothing.

“Sara’s enthusiasm and commitment to the event has been amazing”, says Angela Gill who is managing director at Bio Productions which makes award-winning cleaning products for use around the world.

“We were all eager to support her determination to succeed and are very proud of her.”

It was an early start though as Sara’s departure slot was soon after sunrise, but her dedication to the cause and months of preparation and lifelong gym work ensured that she completed the course without mishap.

Meanwhile, the company is proving that every dog has its day by helping cute canine Bella get fighting fit.

Until recently, the nine-year-old whippet/staffordshire terrier cross was having mobility issues due to injuries sustained to her back and legs.

Now, her owner Eric Martyr says his dog is bounding about and barking like a six-month-old pup.

The remarkable difference is down to a cunning plan he hatched with the help of Bio-Productions.

Eric said: “I had taken Bella to receive laser treatment but it didn’t do much good.

“The vet suggested that we take her for hydrotherapy sessions but the costs were adding up and it wasn’t sustainable.”

Eric’s wife, Cheryl, encouraged him to get creative and he soon spotted an industrial bulk container outside Bio-Productions’ purpose-built facility on the Victoria Business Park.

The IBC was the perfect size for a stay-at-home hydrotherapy pool.