A Dawlish woman who ran her first marathon on Sunday (April 27) has raised nearly £2,000 for Newton Abbot charity Life Chance Trust.

Shannon Izod started running three years ago and, after completing the Couch to 5K programme, she trained for and completed a half marathon. However, the 2025 TCS London Marathon was the first time she had run 26.2 miles. She completed the blisteringly hot course in five hours and 22 minutes.

Shannon, who grew up in the care system, decided to raise money for Life Chance Trust, a Newton Abbot charity that supports vulnerable young people as they enter adulthood.

Deciding to support the charity was a no brainer because Shannon believes that if Life Chance Trust had existed a decade ago, it would have changed her sister’s life.

Shannon is so committed to supporting the charity that she has participated in every fundraising event Life Chance Trust has offered.

Although Shannon and her sister were lucky enough to be adopted, the impact of their earlier life experiences resulted in Shannon’s sister developing issues with attachment and abandonment and she ended up back in the care system. ‘She felt she had no one for support, no one to listen or help her, she got into debt and was miserable and alone,’ Shannon explained. ‘If Life Chance Trust had been around ten years ago, it would have changed my sister’s life,’ she added. ‘Dedicated volunteers take time out to help and support young people like my sister and show them love and teach them the ways of life.’

Life Chance Trust supports 16-25 year-olds who have complex life histories and a background of childhood trauma. The charity provides one-to-one mentoring and life skills workshops to support vulnerable young people to take their next steps in life.

To support Shannon’s marathon effort in aid of Life Chance Trust visit: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Shannon-s-London-Marathon-2025