"Claire would be so happy and overwhelmed": Samaritan's donations soar after London Marathon death

Tuesday, 24 April 2012 13:49

Claire Squires, 30, collapsed and died less than a mile from the finishing line at Sunday's event. Donations to Claire's chosen charity, the Samaritans, via her Just Giving page have since reached £400,000.

The generosity and support of the public has been appreciated by Claire's family who said: "We would like to say thank you so much for everyone's support. Claire would be so happy and overwhelmed with the incredible support that has been offered by thousands of people from all over the world. Her family appreciate the kind messages posted online very much."

As news quickly spread of Claire's death via social networking sites and blogs, her fundraising page was also shared and donations flooded in, totalling over £200,000 by Monday. That figure passed £400,000 shortly after 3pm today and it looks like it will continue to rise.

Donors also posted messages in memory of Claire and sending condolences to her family.

Visit Claire Squires' Just Giving Page

Priscilla Squires, Claire's mother, has volunteered for the Samaritan's for 24 years and inspired her daughter to raise money at the Marathon, which she had already completed once before. "It's a fab opportunity to raise money for my charity, the Samaritans," reads Claire's fundraising page. However, she could never guess how much money she would actually raise as her initial target, "if everyone I know could donate £5.00 that would be a great help and change lives", looks to be surpassed 1,000 times over.

It is also thought that Claire was raising money in memory of her brother, Grant, who died in 2001 after becoming depressed. The Samaritans have issued a statement saying: "This is an incredibly sad time for Claire’s family and all those who knew her. We desperately wish that it was not under these circumstances but we have been overwhelmed by the response from people donating in Claire’s memory. These donations will be put into a tribute fund and, following discussions with the family, will go towards projects they feel would have been important to Claire.”

Although it is still unclear what caused Claire's death, 5 of the previous 9 deaths have been in runners with heart conditions and the other 4 all suffered from severe coronary disease which they were unaware of.

Just Giving is a website which allows fundraisers to set up their own pages, customise them and ask supporters to make donations which are secure, simple and quick. Donors can donate simply with a debit card, via text message or Direct Debit, and often leave messages in support of the chosen charity or fundraiser.

You can visit the Hand on Heart Just Giving Page to make a secure donation to our charity or visit our Fundraising Page for more information on how you can raise funds in memory of a loved one.