A runner who raised thousands of pounds as she was dying of cancer is to have a major peace movement named after her.

Frances Powney died last month at the age of just 43.

She was deeply involved in the Middle East-based Football 4 Peace and raised funds for the charity in gruelling marathons in New York and London.

The organisation has announced it is to be renamed Football 4 Peace for Frances.

Frances, a mother of two from Seaford, was a key figure in the charity, a joint University of Brighton and British Council initiative.

It has made a major contribution to the peace process by arranging for Arabs and Palestinians to play for the same side in football matches in Israel.

She was passionate about its goals and carried out much of the management and administration of the project.

Since its modest beginnings five years ago, it has grown into one of the British Council's flagship sporting initiatives in the Middle East.

In July she was part of a team of 40 UK volunteers who brought together 20 Arab and Jewish communities.

One thousand children and hundreds of local coaches and community leaders participated in a five-day festival of football.

Despite being ill Frances insisted on being there to help and gave particular support to the girls-only project in Tiberias.

Helen Palmer, of the Brighton and Hove Inclusion Project, worked closely with Frances.

She said: "It is a great testimony to her courage and determination that despite toiling long hours in soaring temperatures, Frances showed no signs of the illness that tragically was to take her from us.

"Everybody she touched loved and respected her and she will never be forgotten."

Letters of condolence from people involved in the initiative in Jerusalem spoke of her as the "shining light of the project".

Frances, a keen football fan, married David Powney, the nephew of Brian Powney, the long-serving Albion goalkeeper, who was one of the mainstays of the side in the Seventies. She loved sport, including horse riding and swimming.

Her two nieces are Connie and Cassie Powney, who play the glamorous Sophie and Melanie Burton in Channel Four's teen soap Hollyoaks.

Frances was born and educated in Eastbourne, at St Bedes School and then at Beresford House School for Girls.

She studied history of art at Sussex University and married David in 1986. They have two children, Johnny, 19, and Kate, 12. The family live in Seaford.

For 14 years she worked at Brighton University at the Chelsea School on the Eastbourne campus as an administrator.

It was while there, she became involved in setting up Football 4 Peace.

Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 she became involved in running.

She started with the Race for Life in Brighton and went on to run the London Marathon and the New York Marathon to raise money for Football 4 Peace.

Donations to Football 4 Peace can be made by a cheque made out to the University of Brighton Foundation sent to the Finance Officer, Football 4 Peace, Chelsea School, University of Brighton, Denton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7SP.