A university student will be tackling her first marathon in memory of her 19-year-old brother.

Former Thurstable School pupil Rebecca Trout, of Tiptree, has already smashed her fundraising target and has been overwhelmed by donations from friends and even strangers.

She is raising money for the mental health charity MIND after her brother, George Trout, died as a result of depression at the age of 19 on May 31 last year.

George had suffered with depression on and off for about three or four years prior to his death.

Rebecca said: “He was an amazing human being, really really funny.

“He would do anything for anyone and wanted to cheer everyone up.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/Rebecca-Trout/2