DEPUTY head teacher Lucy Lee is to pound the streets of the capital to raise money in memory of 12-year-old Jenni Gallagher.

Jenni, from Nantwich, attended Hebden Green School at Winsford, where Lucy is the deputy head, and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma last year as a complication of a degenerative condition.

She underwent chemotherapy treatment, and died last month.

Lucy, from Middlewich, is taking part in the London Marathon on April 24 to raise money for Action for A-T, and has raised £756 towards her £2,500 target.

“I am raising money for Action for A-T in memory of a brave, intelligent and determined young lady who fought against her condition to live as normal a life as possible,” she said.

“Jenni had Ataxia Telangiectasia, a degenerative condition which made her reliant on a wheelchair by the time she was 10.

“She was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma over the summer of 2015 as a complication of her A-T, but continued to attend school whenever she could throughout her chemotherapy treatment.

“She retained her wicked sense of humour and her desire to be with her friends at school, even taking part of the annual Christmas school play in December.

“Over Christmas time Jenni developed pneumonia, and tragically passed away in January.

“Jenni will continue to live on in the memories of her family, friends and school staff, who will celebrate her life and her determination, in part by raising funds to develop treatments for A-T towards a cure for this debilitating condition.

“It was a privilege to know Jenni, and it’s an honour to run in her memory.

“When I run in London - which will be my first marathon distance race - I know I will carry with me Jenni’s desire to live her life to the full, and her example of determination and fighting spirit will get me around the 26.2 miles and over the finish line, hopefully in under five hours.”

Sue Priestley, Jenni’s class teacher said: “Jenni was a lovely pupil in the Kingfishers class. She was funny and witty with a great sense of humour.

“She had great determination, enjoyed learning and was a good friend. The staff and children have lots of happy memories of the time we spent together.”

Jenni’s classmates said: “Jenni loved to race around outside in her power chair.

“She loved her dogs, loved the colours pink and purple and singing along to the Karaoke sometimes.

“Jenni was a lovely friend and we miss her, but we can still talk about the things we did together.”

The school held a memorial assembly at school on January 22, and was joined by members of Jenni’s family.

During the assembly pupils and staff shared their stories and memories of Jenni, and each memory was put into a memory box which was presented to Jenni’s family.

A-T is a rare neurodegenerative inherited disease which affects many parts of the body, and causes severe disability.

To sponsor Lucy visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Lucy-Lee2