Polly Rogerson will be donning her running shoes to take part in the London Marathon and raise money for local charity The Children’s Centre.

Polly, who lives in Kirk Michael, knew when signing up that training would be tough, both on the body and fitting in with her on call shifts at Noble’s Hospital as a specialist biomedical scientist in medical microbiology but has surprised herself with how enjoyable it has been.

’Training, with my dog Dexter a 22-month-old and very energetic Hungarian wirehaired Vizsla, has helped me with my training regime,’ she said.

’Fundraising has been a dream - I have been blown away by the support of my colleagues, friends and family. I am thoroughly looking forward to wearing my Children’s Centre vest and Manx flag on the day.’

Lisa Motley from The Children’s Centre said: ’Taking part in the London Marathon is a truly remarkable opportunity and we know that Polly will enjoy taking part in such an iconic event.

’We are so grateful to her for choosing to run for The Children’s Centre, and so far she has exceeded her fundraising target to raise £1,200, which is a fabulous amount of money. This will go a long way to supporting the vital work we do with children, young people and families on the island. We wish her the very best of luck on the day and look forward to hearing all about it.’

The marathon takes place on April 28.

If you would like to donate to the cause, you can still donate via my just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pollyanna-rogerson