Kumi Ife was just nine when she died. Now her cousin is raising money for the charity that was, and still is, there for the family.

WHEN a nine-year-old girl from Honiton lost a courageous battle against cancer, the charity that supported her family through thick and thin continued to be there for them.

CLIC Sargent is still only a phone call away - two years after little Kumi Ife died.

Now her cousin, Leanne Greengrass, 27, wants to give something back.

The Honiton Wine Bar worker is determined to raise money so other families can benefit from the charity’s work.

She is in training to run the London Marathon on April 17, but warns: “It is a one-off. I can’t stand running.”

Leanne has already conquered a fear of heights, qualifying as a skydiver in America and abseiling down the front of a building at Exeter University. Now she wants to really put herself through her paces.

“I am doing it in memory of my cousin, Kumi,” she said.

“CLIC Sargent is an amazing charity.

“When we used to go up to the hospital in Bristol, we stayed in a CLIC Sargent house and, really, the charity was there for the family from the very beginning.

“Even after Kumi’s death, they were still there.”

Leanne is running every day to prepare for the marathon and says: “I am looking forward to the buzz of the atmosphere.

“You’ve got to be in it 100 per cent for the training and that’s why I am running every day.

“The snow and ice last December put my training back a bit.”

You can pick up a sponsor form in support of Leanne’s effort from Honiton Wine Bar (donations also accepted), Wine World, Creature Comforts and A G Signs.

Kumi was formerly a pupil at Honiton Community Primary School and was the Midweek Herald’s Young Chef of the Year.

FOR KUMI: Leanne Greengrass, 27, of Honiton, is pictured with the CLIC Sargent top she will be wearing in this year’s London Marathon. The Honiton Wine Bar worker is taking part in the run in memory of her late council, Kumi Ife, who died aged just nine.